Post on 08-Jan-2023
Analysis of ‘Spirituality’ in the Japanese-Speaking Mediation Context: Its Contributions and Controversies Masako Ueda BA in Psychology & Women’s Studies, LLB(Hon), LLM in Dispute and Conflict Resolution
A thesis submitted in fulfilment to the University of Gloucestershire in accordance with the requirements of the degree of
Doctor of Philosophy in the School of Education and Humanities January 2020 Word Count: 84,108
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Abstract The present thesis analysed the suitability of the currently applied Japanese translations of the English terms ‘spiritual’ and ‘spirituality’ used by Lois Gold and Mark S. Umbreit in the mediation context. While two Japanese terms, transliterated spirituality and seishin, are applied in the Japanese-speaking mediation context, the use and meaning of those English terms in the context of mediation remain somewhat ill-defined. The suitability of seishin as a translation of spirituality has been questioned, and the meaning of transliterated spirituality, a relatively new word to replace reisei and seishin, remains ambiguous due to its context-bound nature. The revitalisation of reisei is now evident since the beginning of the 2010s in Japan.
This study addresses the following three questions. First, the thesis identifies, through a literature review, what the Japanese transliterated term of English spirituality means despite its context-bound nature. Secondly, the study establishes what Gold and Umbreit mean in the context of mediation by textual analysis on their usages of the term spiritual and spirituality. Thirdly, the thesis explores whether mediation in Japan has spiritual dimensions. Depending on the answers to these questions, the research then investigates whether any academic recommendations can be made, for instance, regarding whether reisei is a more suitable Japanese translation for those English terms. The latter two questions involve reviewing relevant literatures, conducting a case study and arguing the notion expressed by those English terms in the Japanese-speaking mediation context. As for the research conclusion, reisei among those three terms appears to be better suited to translate the English term spirituality used by Gold and Umbreit in the context of mediation. This thesis has two main contributions. First, the generated meaning of those English terms should help in understanding Japan’s recent mediation development. Secondly, the findings identify both contributions to and controversies in the Japanese-speaking mediation context resulting from introducing the notion expressed by those English terms.
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Author’s Declaration
I declare that the work in the present thesis was carried out in accordance with the regulations of the University of Gloucestershire and is original except where indicated by specific reference in the text. No part of the thesis has been submitted as part of any other academic award. The thesis has not been presented to any other education institution in the United Kingdom or overseas.
Any views expressed in the thesis are those of the author and in no way represent those of the University.
Signed:
Date:
doi: 10.46289/ATXT4955
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Acknowledgements I wish to express my gratitude to the seven doctors among many with their doctorates who helped me in developing this research: To Dr Robin Griffith, the Postgraduate Research Lead for the School of Education and Humanities. I was unable to continue my research without his enormous support and understanding. To Drs Roy Jackson, who accepted me as his research student, and Maria-Federica Moscati, an editor of Mediation Theory and Practice, who was my LLM supervisor at the University of London and kindly continued her supervision on this thesis. I could not embark upon this research without them. To Drs Radha D’Souza and David Webster for their significant academic inputs. Without their views as experienced academics, this research would not yet have found its form of presentation. To Dr Rachel M. Goldberg, the editor of Faith & Practice in Conflict Resolution, for sharing her valuable opinions on this research with me. Lastly but certainly not least, to Dr Maruyama Hiroshi, for advising me on cultures of Japan. I would also thank my parents and Kaz for understanding, accepting and supporting my needs and desire as a mediator to undertake this research. My big thank you also goes to Debs, a great librarian who assisted my endless interlibrary loan requests, as well as to all my friends, especially Nori and Gerry for their supports.
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Table of Contents o Abstract ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- i o Author’s declaration --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ii o Acknowledgements ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- iii o Table of contents ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- iv
1 Introduction ......................................................................................................... 1
1.1 Research aim, background and context .................................................................... 1
1.1.1 Aim ...................................................................................................................... 1
1.1.2 Research background .......................................................................................... 1
1.1.3 Research context ............................................................................................... 14
1.2 Research questions and objectives .......................................................................... 20
1.3 Disciplinary location of this research ....................................................................... 23
1.4 Methodological approaches and applied methodology .......................................... 27
1.4.1 Multiple disciplinary approach ......................................................................... 27
1.4.2 Hermeneutic phenomenology as a research approach .................................... 29
1.4.3 Textual analysis as a research method ............................................................. 31
1.5 Limitations of this research...................................................................................... 34
1.5.1 Objectivity and subjectivity ............................................................................... 34
1.5.2 Limited resources .............................................................................................. 36
1.5.3 Findings and discussions in a limited milieu ..................................................... 37
1.6 Structure of the thesis ............................................................................................. 39
2 Transliterated spirituality in Japan ..................................................................... 43
2.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................. 43
2.2 Literature reviews: research into spirituality and transliterated spirituality .......... 45
2.2.1 Academic opinions on research into spirituality published in Japanese .......... 45
2.2.2 Lessons from previous research: Nakatani, Shimada and Ohigashi (2013), Jones (2009), Mayer and Boness (2011), Nun (2011) and Horie (2019) .................... 48
2.3 Issues arising from the introduction of transliterated spirituality to Japan’s mediation context .................................................................................................... 53
2.3.1 About transliterated spirituality ....................................................................... 53
2.3.2 Peacebuilding: one of precedential fields of using the transliterated spirituality ........................................................................................................................ 64
2.3.3 The issues with ‘translated’ spirituality ............................................................ 70
2.4 Conclusion ................................................................................................................ 71
3 Textual analysis of the meanings of ‘spirituality’ used by Lois Gold and Mark S. Umbreit ............................................................................................................. 73
3.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................. 73
3.2 In conducting textual analysis .................................................................................. 73
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3.3 Textual analysis of writings by Lois Gold and Mark S. Umbreit ............................... 76
3.3.1 The eight core precepts found in Lois Gold and Mark S. Umbreit ................... 76
3.3.2 Lois Gold (1993 and 2003) ................................................................................ 78
3.3.3 Mark S. Umbreit (1997 and 2001) .................................................................... 82
3.4 Discussing the generated eight core precepts in the context of English-speaking mediation ................................................................................................................. 86
3.4.1 Spirituality in the context of mediation is not limited to any particular culture such as indigenous or non-indigenous mediation ............................................ 86
3.4.2 Spirituality can include religion, be a part of religion, be independent from religion or be interchangeable with religion..................................................... 90
3.4.3 Who mediates matters due to spirituality ........................................................ 92
3.4.4 Spirituality influences both semantically and non-semantically through mediator’s presence ......................................................................................... 96
3.4.5 Spirituality leads disputants to settlements at a higher level through connection with others ...................................................................................................... 101
3.4.6 Such influences tend to occur in a safe or sacred space created by the mediator ...................................................................................................................... 104
3.4.7 A sense of sacredness in the mediation session is not necessarily an indication that any specific religious doctrine or faith is being applied .......................... 107
3.4.8 When the terms spiritual or spirituality are used by mediators, they do not form a particular mediation model ......................................................................... 111
3.5 Remarks and issues arising in the findings of textual analyses ............................. 113
3.5.1 Identified remarks ........................................................................................... 113
3.5.2 Discovered issues ............................................................................................ 120
3.6 Conclusion .............................................................................................................. 123
4 Some clarifications for the findings of the textual analysis ............................... 126
4.1 Introduction ........................................................................................................... 126
4.2 Mediation described with the terms spiritual or spirituality and transformative model ..................................................................................................................... 127
4.3 Spirituality in the context of mediation and mysticism ......................................... 133
4.4 Conclusion .............................................................................................................. 140
5 Has Japan’s mediation ever been ‘spiritual’? .................................................... 143
5.1 Introduction ........................................................................................................... 143
5.2 Development of mediation in Japan up to the ADR Act 2004 ............................... 144
5.2.1 From 604 AD up to and including the Edo period........................................... 145
5.2.2 From Meiji up to the Enactment of the ADR Act in 2004 ............................... 146
5.2.3 Enactment of the ADR Act 2004 ..................................................................... 149
5.2.4 Current situation of mediation available in Japan .......................................... 152
5.3 What is expected in Japan’s mediation? ............................................................... 158
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5.3.1 Traditional view: to keep a harmonious relationship ..................................... 159
5.3.2 Contemporary view: avoiding unfair decisions .............................................. 164
5.3.3 Case study to illustrate those two views ........................................................ 166
5.4 Would the notion of using spirituality in mediation be understood in Japan? ..... 170
5.5 Conclusion .............................................................................................................. 174
6 Suitability of the currently applied translations in the Japanese-speaking mediation context ............................................................................................................ 177
6.1 Introduction ........................................................................................................... 177
6.2 Revisiting the currently applied translations with the eight precepts .................. 178
6.2.1 Does the term seishin convey the eight precepts? ......................................... 178
6.2.2 Transliterated spirituality shared with peacebuilding .................................... 181
6.2.3 Persisting issues about being religious or non-religious ................................. 186
6.3 Examining the suitability of reisei .......................................................................... 195
6.3.1 Daisetz Suzuki and reisei ................................................................................. 197
6.3.2 What is reisei? ................................................................................................. 200
6.3.3 Reisei considered in light of the eight core precepts ...................................... 203
6.4 Is reisei a better translation of ‘spirituality’ in the context of Japanese-speaking mediation? ............................................................................................................. 207
6.5 Conclusion .............................................................................................................. 210
7 Aftermath of introducing the notion to the Japanese-speaking mediation context ........................................................................................................................ 213
7.1 Introduction ........................................................................................................... 213
7.2 Controversies ......................................................................................................... 213
7.2.1 Distorted boundaries between mediation and other fields ........................... 213
7.2.2 Misleading as if offering commodified spirituality in mediation .................... 215
7.2.3 The binary classification deters from freedom of expression ........................ 216
7.3 Contributions ......................................................................................................... 218
7.3.1 Reinstallation of the distorted boundaries ..................................................... 218
7.3.2 Mother hen pecks the eggs in contemporary Japan ...................................... 219
7.4 Conclusion .............................................................................................................. 222
8 Final remarks and future recommendations ..................................................... 225
8.1 Discoveries through this research ......................................................................... 225
8.2 Future recommendations ...................................................................................... 228
8.2.1 How to preserve the mother hen ................................................................... 228
8.2.2 Field studies .................................................................................................... 229
Bibliography ........................................................................................................... 232
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1 Introduction
1.1 Research aim, background and context
1.1.1 Aim The purpose of the present thesis is to analyse the suitability of the currently applied
Japanese translations of the English terms spiritual and spirituality used by Lois Gold and
Mark S. Umbreit in Japan’s mediation context and, if not found suitable, proposes a more
appropriate translation based on the findings.
In order to pose the research questions for the present thesis to achieve this aim, the next
two subsections first articulate the background of this research as well as research context.
1.1.2 Research background Fuller (1971: 325-326) described mediation as offering, “to reorient the [disputant] parties
toward each other, not by imposing rules on them, but by helping them to achieve a new
and shared perception of their relationship, a perception that will redirect their attitudes
and dispositions toward one another[…]. This quality of mediation becomes most visible
when the proper function of the mediator turns out to be[…]of helping them to free
themselves from the encumbrance of rules and of accepting, instead, a relationship of
mutual respect, trust and understanding that will enable them to meet shared contingencies
without the aid of formal prescriptions”.
Private mediatory procedures in Japan are now regulated under the Act on Promotion of
Use of Alternative Dispute Resolution 2004 (the ‘ADR Act 2004’). Article 1 of the ADR Act
2004 defines mediation as a “procedure for resolution of a civil dispute between parties
who seek, with the involvement of a fair third party, a resolution without using litigation”.
This ‘fair third party’ is a mediator who “constantly emerges in all groups of more than two
elements” and “completely changes” disputants by the triad attending a negotiation process
(Simmel, 1950: 148 and 138). In the present thesis, the term ‘mediator’ is defined as
“someone who self-consciously assumes this relation toward others, deliberately putting its
elements to use, whether in everyday life or in forwarding the business of rule” (Roberts and
Palmer, 2005: 157).
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In Japan, chōtei has been translated as ‘mediation’ in English for the readers’ convenience
(Bryant, 1995: 5). 1 Even though translating chōtei as mediation is now considered as
inaccurate because personnel or committee members available to chōtei are selected and
assigned by courts (Kakiuchi, 2015: 375-376; RITEI, 2003: 1), chōtei in the broad sense
includes both mediation and conciliation (Kakiuchi, 2015: 376). Japanese legal scholars are
now well aware that chōtei and mediation are not the same; in fact, mediation is now often
called ‘mediation’ by transliterating in katakana letters or funsou chūsai in kanji letters while
chōtei remains separate and independent from what is categorised as mediation.2
In addition, discussing naisai which is the former system of chōtei, Tanaka (2006: 66-73) also
warned that this legal culture should not be confused with the contemporary ADR
movement ‘imported’ from foreign countries such as Germany and the United States of
America (the ‘USA’); this includes mediation in the formal justice system. Tanaka (2000)
considered mediation as an imported ADR system because, in the Pound Conference in 1976,
Japan’s chōtei was introduced as one of successful dispute resolution methods (Miyatake,
2017).3
This clearly supports the arguments of Kakiuchi’s (2015) argument that ‘mediation’ in English
and chōtei in Japanese are not the same. However, in the present thesis, chōtei and its
former schemes available in Japan are considered because of the mediatory roles
undertaken in those schemes by either the third-party decision makers or those who
attended chōtei. Hence, although mediation and chōtei are now different services in Japan,
the present thesis looks at the third-party alternative dispute resolution practice in Japan,
which are currently available chōtei and private mediation, as mediation for its research
purposes by taking the broad view suggested in Kakiuchi (2015). In fact, the contributing
authors in Ronald and Alexy (2011) still refer chōtei as mediation.
Since the enactment of the ADR Act 2004 which certifies private organisations to undertake
mediation and also disqualifies some categories of people from such a certification scheme,
the Japan ADR Association has been established and has made recommendations to the
1 The Japanese translation of chōtei is 調停. 2 The Japanese translation of katakana, funsou chūsai and kanji are respectively カタカナ, 紛争仲裁 and 漢字. 3 The third-party alternative dispute resolution in Japan has long been used since the Muromachi (室町 ) and
Azuchimomoyama (安土桃山) periods, which were between 1336 to 1603 (Callister and Wall, 1997: 313). The development
of mediation in Japan is reviewed and discussed in chapter 5.
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Ministry of Justice in relation to the expected amendments to the Act respectively in 2012
and 2018. The recommendation included to build some cooperation systems both nationally
and internationally to coordinate mediation access for the disputants who are at a significant
distance from one another (Japan ADR Association, 2018: 15). The Japan ADR Association
(2018) listed such examples as disputes in international divorce matters, negotiation
between the government and the victims of catastrophic natural disaster such as
earthquakes.
Although it remains unclear as to whether their recommendation is being reflected in the
amendments to the ADR Act 2004, what this conveys is not insignificant. Cross-border
divorce matters, one of the examples listed by the Japan ADR Association (2018) in the
recommendation, certainly consider mediation as an option for their discussions due to the
costs, time, and distance involved. Such mediation can be conducted by co-working or
remotely online (Roberts, 2014: 161-162 and 243-244). Japanese speaking mediators and
prospective users are intersecting ‘foreign’ mediation cultures.
Mediation conducted in Japan, “applies many mediation models which are applied in
mediation held in foreign countries” in North America and Europe (Wada, Ando and Tanaka,
2015: ii-iii; Wada and Otsuka, 2014).4 The word ‘spirituality’ was first used in mediation to
describe the practice in an article published by Shook and Kwan in 1987. Between 1987 and
2019, there have been more than 32 publications on the topic published in the English
language yet in various countries including Australia, China, Ethiopia, India, New Zealand,
Northern Ireland, Sierra Leone, Taiwan, Tanzania, Turkey, and the USA.
In Japan, Lois Gold and Mark S Umbreit’s notion of using ‘spirituality’ in mediation was
introduced by way of translation (Fujioka, 2007). This is coincidentally the same year as the
4 Practice ‘models’, a mediation terminology used in Japan, include, but are not limited to, Transformative, Narrative, Evaluative, or Facilitative models. The models can be called by different names such as ‘approaches’ (Folger and Jones, 1994: 149-154; Parkinson, 2014: 34-42), ‘orientations’ (Bush and Folger, 1994; Riskin, 1994 and 1996: 25), ‘schools’ (Moore, 2014: 46-59), ‘stories’ (Pinzon: 1996), or ‘styles’ (Tracy and Spradlin, 1994:122-123) depending on literature and country where it is written. For example, in England, the term ‘model’ is used to refer to structural variations such as shuttle mediation, co-mediation, single or plural meetings, to name a few (Roberts, 2014: 157-162), while what is referred as the ‘model’ in the present thesis is called an ‘approach’ or ‘style’ (Parkinson, 2014: 34).There is no scientific or empirical data in deciding which mediation model is the most effective for resolving conflict and sometimes combinations of different models may work as effective (Parkinson, 2014: 34-42). The present thesis sets its terminology as ‘models’ to refer to those different ‘approaches’ of mediation because it is professionally applied and used by mediators working in Japan (Wada, Ando, and Tanaka, 2015; Wada and Nakanishi, 2016; Wada and Otsuka, 2014; Science Council of Japan, 2008; Yoshida, 2009) and a number of those who use ‘approaches’ instead of ‘models’ in Japan is relatively small and limited to those who are more familiar with mediation taken place in foreign countries (see for instance, Miyatake, 2017).
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ADR Act 2004 came into force in Japan. However, the use and meanings of the English terms,
spiritual or spirituality, in the context of mediation remain somewhat ill-defined (for
example, see Jones, 2009). As a result, some mediators consider their practice as spiritual in
nature yet hesitate to use that term to describe their mediation because of a belief that such
terms undermine their professional credibility (Jones, 2009). The above-mentioned
recommendations by the Japan ADR Association (2018) submitted to the Minister of Justice
in 2018 included the fact that there has been no evident increase in the numbers of people
using ADR, including the certified private mediation under the said Act, since its enforcement
(Japan ADR Association, 2018: 3). There may be some impacts from introducing the notion
on the Japanese-speaking mediation context, although this is only speculative at this point.
In fact, in 2001, Mark S. Umbreit came to Japan to hold his first mediation trainings (Ishihara,
2017a); in or around the same year, Japan’s earliest founders of restorative justice also went
to the USA to take part in his mediation training sessions (Ishihara, 2017a). Following the
training, Fujioka (2007) as mentioned above, translated Umbreit’s book, which contains a
chapter that refers to Lois Gold’s spirituality (1993), into the Japanese language. This
translation is the earliest record of using the term ‘spiritual’ or ‘spirituality’ to describe
‘mediation’ in Japan.
In addition, issue 20, 2012, of Kumamoto Jinzai Shinbun, a local newspaper in the Kumamoto
prefecture, reported that Ishihara, a dispute resolution scholar of Kumamoto University in
Japan, who later translated Umbreit’s online lecture as well as hosting his training in
Kumamoto, Japan in 2017 (Ishihara, 2017a and 2017b), mentioned the importance of
‘spirituality’ in mediation during her public lecture titled “the Future of Dispute Resolution
Studies – what can it bring to our society in cooperation with other studies?” held on 18 July
2012. In that lecture, Ishihara (Kumamoto Jinzai Shinbun: 2012) also used the transliterated
term in a parallel of the word ‘love’ in her lecture.5 Both Ishihara and Fujioka are scholars in
the field of conflict resolution, publishing numbers of articles and books in the field while
participating in conflict resolution programmes overseas.
5 The exact wordings of the newspaper article read as “the importance of spirituality・love was also lectured” (the
Japanese translation is “スピリチュアリティ・愛の重要性も説いた”).
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What is unusual is that the translation of the English term ‘spirituality’ or ‘spiritual’ as used
by Lois Gold and Mark S. Umbreit, was done using the transliteration in katakana letters and
seishin,6 in a form of ‘seishinsei’ or ‘seishinteki’.7 Both seishinsei and seishinteki are formed
by adding suffix to the term seishin. The former means a quality of seishin while the latter is
an adjectival noun of seishin. The term seishin means either mind, spirit, motive or will.
In relation to the transliterated spirituality, some words which have their origins in foreign
languages are transliterated and written in katakana and remain phonetically the same as
the original word in the Japanese language (Horie, 2009).8 The term ‘spiritual’ in Gaitanidis’s
(2012) example is one of these and is pronounced as ‘supirichuaru’ in Japanese.9 However,
some words have been translated without transliteration into Japanese words such as
‘spiritual education’, which is translated as ‘reisei kyōiku’.10 The transliterated spirituality
expressed in katakana “came to define a field of studies related to the “spiritual boom” in
Japan” (Gaitanidis, 2012: 367; Sakurai, 2012).11
Some examples may further highlight the gap between English spirituality and the word
seishin. In the Japanese language, the ‘psychiatric ward’ of a hospital is seishin-ka;
‘psychiatric illness’ as a category of mental diseases is seishin-byo in Japanese.12 At this point,
those who only understand English may wonder whether seishin is at all suitable as a
translation of the English term spirituality. According to Ando (2012) and Tazaki, Matsuda,
and Nakane (2001), seishin is unsuitable as a translation of the English term spiritual because
the way seishin is used in the Japanese language frequently means something closer to
‘mentality’, ‘will’ or ‘mind’ in the English language.
However, Kashio (2012: i) argues that the English term spiritual includes something which is
both seishinteki and the transliterated spiritual. In the Japanese language, the transliterated
spirituality is considered as a new word that replaces reisei (Horie, 2019) as well as seishin
(Ando, 2012; Kashio, 2012). Reisei has traditionally been the translation of ‘spirituality’ in
the first of transpersonal psychology, psychotherapy and psychiatry (Matsumoto, 2016), not
6 The Japanese translation of seishin is 精神. 7 The Japanese translations of seishintei and seishinteki are 精神性 and 精神的. 8 The Japanese translation of katakana is カタカナ. 9 The Japanese translation of supirichuaru is スピリチュアル. 10 The Japanese translation of reisei kyōiku is 霊性教育. 11 This point will be further explored in Chapter 2. 12 The Japanese translations of seishin-ka and seishinbyo are respectively 精神科 and 精神病.
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seishin as used in the context of mediation by Fujioka (2007). Between 1990s and the 2010s,
however, the transliterated spirituality has been used more often than reisei although both
mean the same in these fields (Matsumoto, 2016).
Some scholars pointed out that the English term ‘spirituality’ was first used in
Transformative Psychology by people who had visited non-English speaking countries that
were located to their East where they were introduced to the notion as part of their
encounter with ‘spiritual’ practices such as Buddhism, Hinduism, yoga, meditation and
mysticism (Ishikawa, 2019; Ito, 2004). As a result of counter-culture movements such as seen
in the East coast of the USA, many publications in transpersonal psychology were read not
only in English but also in Japanese (Ishikawa, 2019). Both the term reisei and transliterated
spirituality are used interchangeably in the field. Similarly, in Religious Studies, reisei is used
as a synonym of transliterated spirituality (Horie, 2018). While Religious Studies, Education
and Transpersonal Psychology as distinct fields of enquiry share the same term reisei, how
each field uses and discusses the term, is very distinct.
These views raise the questions about the suitability of transliterated spirituality or seishin
for the English term ‘spirituality’ as used by Lois Gold, who is both a mediator and therapist,
and Mark S. Umbreit, in the Japanese-speaking mediation context. Both authors make a
clear distinction between their mediation practice and psychotherapy or other psychology-
related practices (Gold, 1993 and 2003; Umbreit, 1997 and 2001). 13 The overlapping
applications of those terms in the context of mediation and other fields do not integrate
Japan’s mediation into one of those fields. So why did Fujioka (2007) not simply use the term
reisei in her translation?
Another example illustrates the difficulties surrounding the translation of the English term
spirituality into the Japanese language. In order to translate Robert Cole’s (1999) The
Spiritual Life of Children, Sakurauchi (1997: 369), the Japanese translator, stated in the
translator’s note section that, “I could not think of any suited Japanese words for the English
word ‘Spiritual’ used in the original title, The Spiritual Life of Children.” The word she did
select for the Japanese title is shinpi,14 which means ‘mystery’ in English. This translated
13 The danger of ignoring the author’s own opinions is further illustrated in Chapter 2 which discusses how spiritualities used in Peacebuilding and Religious Studies overlap each other. 14 The Japanese translation is 神秘. Cole’s The Spiritual Life of Children is published as ‘子供の神秘生活’.
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book was published in Japan in 1997, hence Sakurauchi would have begun her translation
well before then. So why did Sakurauchi, a professional translator, not consider either
transliterated spirituality, the term reisei, or even the term seishin? In addition, the two
letters of ‘shinpi’ (神秘) are also used in a term ‘shinpi-shugi’ (神秘主義) which means
‘mysticism’. Sakurauchi’s translation implies the English term ‘spiritual’ can connote
Japanese speaking audience some links to ‘mysticism’. However, Jespers (2011: 104) claims
that contemporary spirituality or spiritualities are different from the mysticism of the world
religions; in other words, they used to be in the same spectrum. This point needs to be
clarified in the Japanese speaking context.
Shimazono (2012), who is a foremost Japanese scholar of religious studies and spirituality
(Horie, 2018), described reisei as the closest word to ‘spirituality’ in English which was used
in the context of religions or religious studies. However, Shimazono (2012b) translated the
Japanese word ‘seishin sekai’ (精神世界) as ‘spiritual world’ in his own English article. These
variances seen in the translations are enough to illustrate the complexities of the
surrounding issue regarding transliterated spirituality, reisei and seishin. Suzuki’s reisei was
said to be founded on Buddhism (Kasai, 2003 by citing Sharf, 1995),15 and the term itself has
not been used widely by the general public of Japan (Horie, 2018; Ito, 2003; Kasai, 2003;
Kashio, 2002; Suzuki, 1972).
Regarding transliterated spirituality which seems to confuse its audiences, Horie (2009) has
argued that there are a number of benefits to be gained by using the transliterated
spirituality rather than reisei as a translation for the English term spirituality. Namely, the
transliteration itself shows that the concept has its origin in a foreign concept and therefore
avoids the negative connotations of the word reisei due to the letter rei (霊), and its
association with the supernatural or other-worldliness (Horie, 2009).
In Horie’s (2009) view, the general public of Japan recognise foreign concepts, which are
often written in transliteration, as something fashionable and advanced, hence the use of
transliterated spirituality projects a positive message and disassociates from notions of the
supernatural. However, such multiple meanings depending on whether it is in the context
15 Sharf (2005) analysed Daisetz Suzuki in the same group of Kyoto Gakuha including Shin'ichi Hisamatsu and Keiji Nishitani.
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of a public lecture based on academic research or pop-culture as mediated by mass media,
along with the commercialisation of products and services, still create confusion and
misunderstanding in Japanese society (Sakurai, 2012). In fact, as mentioned earlier, there
are many disciplines which use both the term reisei, seishin and transliterated spirituality
interchangeably.
In order to further highlight the complex nature of translating the English term spirituality,
it would be helpful to refer to ordinary online English-Japanese and Japanese-English
dictionaries to which any member of the general public can access by using the internet.16
There are various Japanese words such as chōzokusei, sūkō, or reisei available in addition to
transliterated spirituality and seishin to translate the English term spirituality.17 However,
the difficulty with the Japanese words is that none of them are necessarily always translated
into the English term. For instance, the online Japanese-English dictionary translations for
seishin include ‘mentality’. Chōzokusei can mean ‘otherworldliness’ and sūkōsa is translated
as ‘nobility’ or ‘sublime’ as well as ‘spiritual’. Although reisei includes meanings such as
divinity and incorporeal, a book written by Suzuki (1944/1972) has a translated title,
Japanese Spirituality, in which the original source word used for ‘spirituality’ was reisei.18 In
more recent arguments, Kashio (2012) analysed the term reisei and concluded that it was
employed in various ways by various authors, but with a common meaning as ‘something
invisible and beyond one’s being’.
These possible Japanese translations of the English terms ‘spirituality’ or ‘spiritual’ are a
reminder that the term is context-bound (la Cour, Ausker, and Hvidt, 2012). The
consequences of using both transliterated and translated Japanese equivalents of the
English term spiritual or spirituality in the context of mediation need to be discussed. At this
point, it is unknown whether in the context of Japanese-speaking mediation, the meaning
of the English term spirituality is conveyed by the word seishin and transliterated spirituality.
In the Japanese language, seishin and reisei have been clearly distinguished by Suzuki
(1944/1972) and, if this argument is applied in the mediation context, seishin would not
16 The website is available at https://ejje.weblio.jp/. 17 The Japanese translations for chōzokusei, sūkō and reisei are respectively 超俗性, 崇高 and 霊性. 18 The word reisei (霊性) is also used as an adjective and means ‘spiritual’, too. For example, as mentioned earlier, reisei
kyōiku (霊性教育) means ‘spiritual education’.
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mean the same as reisei, even though both Japanese terms can mean ‘spirituality’ as
discussed above.
Thus, Fujioka (2007) might not have come across the term reisei and was not entirely certain
what Gold (1993) and Umbreit (2001) meant by the terms spiritual and spirituality in the
same way as Sakurauchi (1997) could not think of any other words but shinpi to translate
the English term spiritual in the original title. While Fujioka (2007) is a prominent scholar of
Osaka University with occupational backgrounds in both dispute resolution and psychology,
she does not have a background in spirituality.19 Although the term reisei was first described
by Daisetz Suzuki (1944/1972) in a detailed manner and his definition of the term is still
supported and cited (Kirita, 2007; Shimazono, 2012; Takahashi, 2003), this point must also
be addressed in order to consider the suitability of the currently applied Japanese
translations for the English terms spiritual and spirituality as used by Lois Gold and Mark S.
Umbreit.
Examining the original meaning of ‘spirituality’ in English as used in the context of mediation
can help to clarify this. By following academic analyses by Horie (2003 and 2018), Kashio
(2012) and Matsumoto (2016) regarding the relationship between the transliterated
spirituality, seishin, and reisei together with the argument put forward by la Cour, Ausker,
and Hvidt (2012) and Suzuki (1944/1972), the present thesis narrowed down the candidate
words into those three words to discuss their suitability as a translation of the English terms
spiritual or spirituality as used in the mediation context.
Before considering the suitability of the translations currently used in Japan’s mediation
context, however, the notion expressed by those terms in English language in the mediation
context also needs unfolding to see whether the notion itself exists in Japan’s mediation
context. In other words, was mediation in Japan already ‘spiritual’ prior to the introduction
of the notion in 2007 by Fujioka or did it become part of the discourse as a result of being
introduced in that year? If the latter is the case, then the present thesis must also consider
whether the introduction of the English terms spiritual or spirituality through Japanese
translations of work by Lois Gold and Mark S. Umbreit are an indication of a ‘spiritual boom’
19 The whole point of Fujioka’s translation of Umbreit (2001) was not to introduce the term spiritual or spirituality used by Umbreit (2001) for less than 10 times in his publication. Her purpose was to introduce his book as a whole to the field of Japanese-speaking mediation.
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or spiritual trend in Japan, as reported by Gaitanidis (2012) and Sakurai (2012). However,
Horie (2018; 2019) points out that the trend of transliterated spirituality has now tailed off.
Instead, the revitalisation of reisei is gradually occurring (Horie, 2018). Should the Japanese-
speaking mediation context not follow the movement? This would also be the consequence.
Even if this study finds transliterated spirituality should be a better suited translation in the
context of mediation, there are further issues with those transliterated terms of the English
terms, spiritual and spirituality. Those transliterations are also used in other disciplinary
contexts including peacebuilding in Japan (Inagaki, 2007; Kobayashi, 2007; Matsumoto,
2016; Sakurai, 2009; Shimazono, 2007). Indeed, both ‘peacebuilding’ and ‘peacemaking’ are
often, and perhaps carelessly, used as interchangeable; for example, compare the contents
of Gopin (2000), LeReche (1993), Turay (2000), and Zelizer and Chiochetti (2017). Gopin
(2000) uses ‘peacemaking’ whereas the latter three authors use ‘peacebuilding’ when
comparing with or discussing mediation. Louise Diamond (2000 and 20002) clearly
distinguishes between the two and in the Japanese translation of her work, for ‘peacemaking’
is chōtei.20
Although peacebuilding can be seen as overlapping with mediation, the two fields are not
interchangeable (Lederarch, 1997; LeResche, 1993; Zelizer and Chiochetti, 2017).
Peacebuilding practices encompass dispute resolution at an international level, with
structural and relational changes often included in a view of reconciliation (Lederarch, 1997;
Zelizer, 2013). Mediation is a narrower tool for solving disputes in more domestic arenas
such as between individuals in a family, workplace, school or healthcare setting (Lederarch,
1997; Zelizer and Chiochetti, 2017). However, this does not mean that there are not
mediators who are involved in dispute resolution at an international level (see William Ury,
for example); nor do peacebuilders ignore the importance of dispute resolution at an
individual level (see for example Louise Diamond).
20 In her Japanese translated book (Diamond, 2002), the translation for the English term ‘mediation’ was chōtei, too. Although this is completely out of scope of the present thesis, such variances in the Japanese translations may attract legal scholars’ attentions. For the present thesis, the focus is on the suitability of the currently applied translations for the English terms spiritual and spirituality used by Lois Gold and Mark S. Umbreit. The accuracy of the translations of the relevant terminologies are not concerned, albeit important, since the discussions consider solely the Japanese-speaking mediation context. The terminology of ‘mediation’ in the present thesis was already discussed earlier in this subsection.
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One difference is that while in mediation, the settlement of the dispute is the main goal,21
mediation undertaken by peacebuilders aims to restore ‘peaceful relations’ and the
definition of ‘peace’ depends on various factors in each dispute. Bercovitch and Kadayifci-
Orellana (2009: 178) argue that in invariably complex situations, defining the roles of
mediation and mediator will depend on each scholar as well as the religious-cultural context.
Japanese scholars of mediation have echoed this view (Wada, Ando, and Tanaka, 2015: 40-
41).
While Lehti and Lepomäki (2017) have proposed that connecting the two professions at a
private level is important, this is now an argument that has been put forward yet in Japan.
This is perhaps not surprising given that private mediation only gained its legal recognition
in 2007 by the ADR Act 2004.22 However, the fact that the same transliterated term ‘spiritual’
or ‘spirituality’ are now used in those two different occupational contexts may be an
indication that the two fields will find increasing common ground depending on the
discovered meanings of those terms used in the mediation context. Alternatively, using the
same transliterated spirituality in these fields despite their differences could lead to
confusion in both fields.
Furthermore, transliterated spirituality in the Japanese language cannot be distanced from
religions. Japan’s mediation context may be another case where the term ‘spirituality’ is
used to convey the somewhat complicated yet underthought opinion whereby ‘religion is
not spirituality’. The transliterated spirituality started to be commonly used in the 1990s as
it replaced seishin or reisei when people in Japan frequently began to refer to being spiritual
but not religious (Ando, 2012; Horie, 2003; Kashio, 2012). The phrase is considered to convey
a position being disconnected from institutionalised religions while embracing
“deinstitutionalised religiosity” (Miyajima, 2006: 136 by citing Yumiyama, 2006: 91).
However, transliterated spirituality is understood by Japanese religious study scholars to
mean, “something ‘sensual’ toward something religious” (Miyajima, 2006: 135 by citing Ito,
21 In the present thesis, the term ‘settlement’ means the same as described by Roberts and Palmer (2005: 3) who used it to mean “in the general sense of the search for negotiated, consensual agreement as opposed to resort to a third-party decision”. 22 Please refer to Bercovitch and Kadayifci-Orellana (2009) for further differences. This relatively new development will be discussed in Chapter 5 once the meanings of the terms spiritual or spirituality generated in the English-speaking mediation context.
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2003: ii, Kashio, 2004: 273, and Kasai, 2002: 85). Hence, being spiritual in its transliterated
form in Japan does not always mean to be non-religious. It can be a different way of
expressing their religiosity (Horie, 2019; Webster, 2012). The consequences of using
transliterated spirituality in the context of mediation also needs some explanation for the
purposes of the present thesis because of faith-based mediation model.
When articulating the variances of those Japanese words that can yet may not all be back
translated as the English term ‘spirituality’, the fact that Japan is a country with both
syncretistic and polytheistic traditions has to be considered (Sasaki, 1996: 267-268; Tanaka,
2000: 121). People in Japan tend not to decide which religion is more dominant than others
(Tanaka, 2000: 106; Yaguchi, 1993). Tanaka (2000: 107), one of leading legal scholars in
Japan, argues that the Japanese people have multiple ways of deciding what stands for
‘justice’ of their choice because of their underlying religious syncretism. In Tanaka’s analysis,
the Japanese view judges and courts still the same as the old-day’s traditional decision-
making institutions which once respected and required societal harmony the most, rather
than based solely on what is right. At the same time, they retain their syncretic views due to
their attitudes to different religions. Tanaka (2000) explains that this attitude toward
multiple justices is based on the importance of preserving harmony; due to people’s
embedded syncretic view, there is no need to decide which God is the ‘only right’ God. As a
result, they do not seek to decide what stands only for ‘justice’; instead, they prefer seeking
out what is more harmonious, as their notion of ‘justice’ and can embrace multiple
possibilities of ‘rightness’.
This embedded syncretic attitude may have influenced the development of the multiple
Japanese translation words for English ‘spirituality’.23 Without looking into the views and
attitudes of Japanese people toward religions as well as justice in modern Japan, the
development of multiple ‘spirituality’ in the Japanese language cannot be understood and
therefore a comprehensive account of spirituality used in the context of mediation can only
be given by addressing these matters fully. However, in order to undertake such academic
discussions, one needs to ascertain whether the English terms spiritual or spirituality as used
by Lois Gold and Mark S. Umbreit in their mediation literature are grounded in any religions
or religious doctrines or faiths in the first place. Therefore, what the two authors mean by
23 This point will further be articulated more in Chapter 2 below.
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the English term spirituality in the context of mediation must be analysed as a starting point
of the present thesis for it to achieve its research aim.
In addition, mediation involving Japanese people is not limited to the country of Japan
because of cross-border mediation. As the notion of using ‘spirituality’ in mediation has
already been established in Japan, any Japanese speaking person as well as Japanese
speaking mediators, may seek to integrate ‘spirituality’ in their prospective mediation if they
so desire. Transliterated spirituality is sometimes considered as transcendental and
separated from culture (Inagaki, 2007). It is thus referred to as ‘glocal’ (Kobayashi, 2007).24
By considering the suitability of the translation currently used in the Japanese language, the
present thesis contributes to such cross-border, international mediation by articulating
whether the notion expressed by transliterated spirituality in the context of mediation is
‘glocal’. However, at this point, it is already questionable for the transliterated spirituality to
have such a ‘glocal’ effect in the context of mediation because of the term spirituality’s
context-bound nature identified in the precedential research such as la Cour, Ausker, and
Hvidt (2012) and Tazaki, Matsuda, and Nakane (2001), albeit not conducted in mediation.
Lastly, in relation to the above-mentioned attitudes toward religions in Japan, Lewis (2018)
raises another controversial point: in modern Japan, the majority of people only have a
vague awareness of religions and something related to religions including their own religion
or religious faith. Of course, they will have a basic knowledge of religions learned during
their compulsory education.25 However, religious practices, which are deeply embedded in
the customs and every day activities, are no longer recognised as religious because of
people’s lack of clear recognition and understanding of what religion is (Lewis, 2018).
Although the Japanese people may have reached the point of an understanding that is
“deeper than distinction between ‘religious’ and ‘secular’, or ‘the sacred’ and ‘the profane’”
(Lewis, 2018: 304), their binary classification as being either religious or non-religious still
exists (Lewis, 2018).
In such a society, when the notion of using spiritual or spirituality introduced in the context
of mediation without clarifying the meanings, their pre-existing binary classification as either
24 These academic arguments are outside of the scope of the present thesis which only concerns with issues arising from the transliterated spirituality or other translations used or available in the Japanese-speaking mediation context. 25 Chapter 6 discusses this in more detail.
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being religious or non-religious will be woven into its acquired meaning (Lewis, 2018: 304).
Similarly, Ama (1996/2005) points out that the Japanese do not mean to be atheist when
they refer themselves as mushūkyo, 26 which means ‘non-religious’ or ‘lack of religious
beliefs’. In such a country, the impact, both negative and positive of using transliterated
spirituality to describe mediation experiences cannot be underestimated, especially when it
comes to mediation. Japanese speaking mediators and clients who only have such a binary
classification yet do not have clear understanding of what religion is thus may be ‘naïve’
about spirituality used in the mediation context.
This discussion about the complex place of religion in Japanese is intended to highlight the
issues that Japanese speaking clients as well as mediators face as a result of using
transliterated spirituality, seishin and reisei in and outside of the context of mediation.
Because this research involves transliterated spirituality as well as the English term
spirituality, both of which have been described as context-bound in nature by previous
research, the next subsection establishes the research context before formulating the
research questions and objectives.
1.1.3 Research context Ando (2006 and 2012) categorised researches about transliterated spirituality into two
groups: one focuses on the context in which transliterated spirituality is used and the other
approaches the same term through a kind of meta-analysis, without fixing the context, and
seek to grasp people’s expectations or intensions of using the term. The former group can
be further subdivided into three categories of researchers (Ando, 2006 and 2012): those who
work in fields of care such as health care, social work and welfare, and education and aim to
convey the importance of transliterated spirituality in caring for others; religious study
scholars who carry out more logical analyses on the meanings of transliterated spirituality
in the context of religious studies; and activists who use transliterated spirituality as their
theme or slogan to agitate society.27 Although there is a degree of overlap between the
three, this research focuses on mediators who are seen as belonging to the first sub category
and also their clients including prospective ones.
26 The Japanese translation of mushūkyo is 無宗教. 27 Kashio (2012) echoed and subdivided the activist group, Ando’s third category, into further two; researchers in ecology and pop- or sub-culture.
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The context for this research, therefore, concerns mediation that involves Japanese speaking
clients as well as mediators. Before detailed objectives are outlined, the question of how to
examine the suitability of the translations currently applied for the English term spirituality
in the mediation context, should be addressed. Cultural comparison can be used, and indeed,
spiritual experiences are said to be perceptible by studying one’s own cultural framework
(Van den Hoogen, 2011: 95). However, the difficulty arises when mediation practices are
fixed in a particular ‘cultural’ context.
The categorisation of mediation practice is based on written or oral language traditions and
places countries such as Japan, China and the USA into the same group of written language
tradition (Wall and Callister, 1995) and disregards cultural traditions. So, for example,
discussions about mediation as an Alternative Dispute Resolution (‘ADR’) method (Wall and
Callister, 1995; Miyatake, 2017: 4) may not take into account the specific expectations of
prospective users of mediation in Japan that are shaped by their cultural traditions. At the
same time, countries cannot be simply categorised based on their language.
For example, in the context of the USA, LeResche (1993:321) stated that, “[t]here are at least
517 ways that the Native American form of mediation, peacemaking, occurs in the USA today.
The U.S. government has “recognized” 517 tribes with a total of approximately 1.8 million
members; they speak 252 languages in addition to English. (There are 573 bands across
Canada, with an average membership of 525 individuals per band.) Tribes, bands, and
villages have diverse social and governmental structures.” Similarly, Meyer (1995: 30) states
that, the American Government recognises “about 500 tribes as “Native American” […and]
together, they speak more than 250 languages and have found at least that many ways to
resolve conflicts peacefully”.
The native Hawaiian people in the USA use their own traditional mediation process called
ho’oponopono (Wall and Callister, 1995: 46). Ho’oponopono was not considered as a part
of written language tradition because of its cultural origin (Wall and Callister, 1995) and has
been described as not sharing the “strong commonality” among mediation practices of the
other American and Japanese people (Wall and Callister, 1995: 46) as it is seen as belonging
to a society based on oral tradition (Wall and Callister, 1995).
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However, this does not mean that non-native Hawaiian people do not use
ho’oponopono or that native Hawaiian people do not use litigation to pursue their
claims (Shook, 1985). Although culturally embedded differences such as written or
oral traditions are still significant in terms of dividing mediation processes into
different categories (Wall and Callister, 1995), mediation using ho’oponopono is now
available and used as a tool of mediation to those who understand the nature and
wish to use it for solving their disputes (Shook, 1985).
For instance, Huber (1993: 358) proposes integrating spirituality originating in the
Aboriginal culture into the non-indigenous mediation process by using the Medicine
Wheel mediation model which consists of four elements, physical, emotional,
intellectual and spiritual. In other words, the application of this culturally specific
model is no longer limited to mediation targeting disputes occurred among the
Aboriginal. When only focusing on written or oral language tradition and observing
these cross-cultural applications of mediation tools in the USA alone, the native
Hawaiian’s tradition used in the contemporary USA now becomes a part of written
language tradition, which is not accurate.
Likewise, in Japan, there are minorities whose parents or ancestors migrated from other
countries such as Korea (Lee, 2018) and Brazil (Hoshino, 2018) and more recent communities
that are religion based such as Muslims (Numajiri and Miki, 2018) as well as indigenous
peoples such as the Ainu, who are recognised as the first nation of Japan under the Ainu
New Law which was passed by the Diet in April, 2019 (Nikkei, 2019). While minority groups
living in Japan may speak the same language, Japanese, their dispute resolution attitudes in
terms of ‘cultural’ preferences do not mean they should be restricted to traditional dispute
resolution methods. In other words, mediation methods can be adopted to different cultural
groups by sharing the same language.
Thus, indigenous peoples certainly can also choose litigation over their traditional dispute
resolution method, if so desired, in the same way as ‘other, non-indigenous’ people in the
same society can choose to use one of the traditional dispute resolution methods. While
indigenous peoples, such as native Hawaiian and Ainu people, have the right to self-
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determination under the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples
(A/RES/61/295), basing methods of dispute resolution on the cultural origins of populations
who now use the same language and reside in the same country, creates unnecessary
divisions and can lead to unintentional discrimination.
Although Japan can improve its mediation practice by learning and using mediation
techniques and strategies developed and used in other countries with the same written
language tradition including the USA (Miyatake: 2017; Wall and Callister, 1995: 46),
emphasising a division between written and oral language traditions will result in ignoring
those minorities who live in the county by losing their long preserved traditions to learning
the same language (for instance, see Murayama, 2014a). In addition, this kind of distinction
places Japan, China and the USA into one category, thus overlooking important differences
between these three countries. This is especially the case where Japan has developed its
own mediation schemes rather than following other countries. During discussions about the
ADR Act 2004, Yamamoto (HoC, 2004b) pointed out that Japan and the USA’s mediation
development and social circumstances are significantly different. The legislature did not
consider foreign countries’ situation and drafted the bill of the Act entirely to fulfil Japan’s
needs for ADR methods regulated under its own legislation (HoR, 2004b: 3, 7, and 30).
By focusing on the common language used in Japan, the approach of the present thesis
would meet the approval of Van den Hoogen (2011: 95) who argues that spiritual
experiences are perceptible by studying their linguistic forms and also “by way of ‘surprise’,
looking for ruptures in the patterns of meaning” and “in the way these patterns refer to our
reality”. Such a focus would allow this study not to overlook any differences and
commonalities in their meanings of the same English terms spiritual and spirituality, even
though both indigenous and non-indigenous mediation are used in and by different cultural
groups (Shook and Kwan, 1987). At the same time, the focus enables the division between
indigenous and non-indigenous mediation to remain equivocal.
In order to discover the spiritual experiences reflected in “linguistic, historical, economic,
cultural phenomena” such as “attitudes, rites, texts and material culture” (Van den Hoogen,
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2011: 95),28 this study refers to the official language, Japanese, to examine spirituality in the
Japan’s mediation context, rather than dividing the country based on the multiple cultures
that co-exist in the country. This approach is also used in the research by Horie (2019) whose
research aim was to generate the meaning of transliterated spirituality, a Japanese term, by
researching how the English term spirituality is used. In his research which narrowed its
research contexts to Psychology and Sociology of Religions, Horie (2019) selected the target
articles and defined what the term spirituality means in English publications. By doing so,
transliterated spirituality in those contexts was defined for people of Japan.29
By adopting the similar approach to the present thesis, the focus is not intended to be one
specific country nor is it intended to restrict the notion to one particular culture when the
English language is referred to in this thesis. This is important given that English language
resources on spirituality and mediation are published in different countries. Acquiring an
official language as a second language and using it to communicate does not mean one
abandons own traditional culture; rather, it allows cultural values to be communicated using
a common language (Lee, 2003).
Concerning more contemporary, non-secular spirituality, scholars have noted a lack of
academic discourse in this regard (see for instance, Singleton, 2016; Watson, 2016).
Japanese scholars studying modern spirituality have also pointed to the difficulties of making
comparative studies on the topic at this point of academic progress (Ama, 1996; Nishimura,
2018). Yet such studies would make a significant contribution to the study of religious
sociology despite, or rather because of, those difficulties (Shimazono, 2012). For example,
as of 2012, there were no Japanese academic studies that had collected data attributable to
people who are ‘spiritual but not religious’ while a few though not many had been conducted
in the USA (Koike, 2012).
In discussing this gap in available resources to conduct comparative studies between Japan
and other countries, Ito (2003) refers to Tomlinson (1999: 57) who argued that culture tends
to be tied to a particular geographic area and its meaning construction is therefore also
connected to the area. His conclusion was that, although access to information has become
28 Similarly, Waaijman’s (2002: 845-860) research which is comparative in nature was carried out by focusing on the different languages such as English, French, and Italian and not comparing cultures. 29 Horie’s (2019) study is analysed in further detail in Chapter 2 below.
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much more globalised and understanding how different spiritualities intersect with one’s
own culture must be an important task, the starting point has to be to address the lack of a
comprehensive picture of spirituality in Japan itself (Ito, 2003:162-169). Indeed, Nakamura
(2012) doubts the need for such comparative studies. In his view, spirituality is made up of
various factors and elements which cannot be standardised, even across one country, let
alone across multiple countries and cultures (Nakamura, 2012). As mentioned earlier, even
within Japan itself, there are many terms used for the English word ‘spirituality’, and those
terms do not always back translate as equivalences of the English notion of spirituality.
The complex nature of spirituality in Japan has been explored in qualitative studies
conducted by Tazaki, Matsuda and Nakane (2001 and 2002). According to their findings, the
English term ‘spirituality’ used in one context cannot be transplanted to the same context in
Japan by simply using available Japanese translations (Tazaki, Matsuda and Nakane, 2001
and 2002; see also Ando, 2012). They argue that the complexities surrounding the translated
term being used has to be taken into account, and in particular, greater consideration needs
to be given to the often-overlooked influence of the religiosity of Japanese people that is
habitually embedded in their daily lives (Tazaki, Matsuda and Nakane, 2001 and 2002).
Hence, understanding spirituality in Japan needs a flexible approach to illustrate the
meaning of it as used in each context in which the studies are conducted (Nakamura, 2012;
Tazaki, Matsuda and Nakane, 2001 and 2002).
Finally, among the various mediation models, the most frequently used in Japan are the
narrative, facilitative and transformative models (Wada, Ando, and Tanaka, 2015; Wada and
Nakanishi, 2016; Wada and Otsuka, 2014; Science Council of Japan, 2008; Yoshida, 2009).
These models are not specially tailored for, or to be adapted to, the Japanese speaking
mediation from what have been used by English-speaking mediators.30 In the early period
of development of mediation which was in the 2000s of Japan, Japanese mediators flew to
the USA to learn mediation skills and brought those back to the country (Ishihara, 2017a).
Thus, mediation practice in Japan has been greatly influenced by other countries, especially
the USA.
30 See for example, Fujioka (2005), Wada, Ando, and Tanaka (2015), and Wada and Nakanishi (2016).
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As for another example, Doshisha University in Japan offers lawyers in Japan mediation
training courses in cooperation with Pepperdine University Law School in the USA (Doshisha
Law School, 2018). Zumeta (2003 and 2017), a mediator working in the USA, who has
discussed the notion of spirituality in the context of mediation, is now an Adjunct Professor
at Pepperdine University School of Law’s Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution
(Georgakopoulos, 2017: xxx). Naturally, the introduction of the book written by Mark S.
Umbreit (2001) by translation in 2007 as mentioned in the previous subsection was not an
exceptional movement in the profession.
Taking into consideration these academic arguments and professional movements regarding
Japanese-speaking mediation practice as highlighted thus far, the present thesis focuses on
the consequences of introducing transliterated spirituality or seishin to the Japanese-
speaking mediation context through the translation of Lois Gold and Mark S. Umbreit’s work,
in which these terms came to be chosen as Japanese equivalents of spirituality as used in
their texts.
1.2 Research questions and objectives By achieving its research aim as stated in 1.1.1 above, the present thesis will not only
contribute to improving the service quality of mediators who work with Japanese speaking
clients but also contribute to the study of spirituality in Japan with new academic
perspectives. By understanding the research background and establishing its context, the
present thesis now poses three key research questions.
The first question is to identify what the Japanese transliterated term of English spirituality
means despite its context-bound nature. Secondly, the study seeks to establish what Lois
Gold and Mark S. Umbreit mean by the English terms spiritual or spirituality in the context
of mediation. Thirdly, the study explores whether mediation in Japan has spiritual
dimensions. Depending on the answers to these three questions, the further question may
be addressed as to whether any academic recommendations can be made for instance,
regarding whether reisei is a more suitable Japanese translation for the English terms
‘spiritual’ and ‘spirituality’ to be used in the Japanese-speaking mediation context.
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By considering those questions, together with the points discussed so far in this chapter, the
thesis has the below objectives.
The first objective is to define and clarify what transliterated spirituality means in Japan. So
far as known, the term used in the context of mediation was transliterated, but such
transliteration does not necessarily mean that the notion originally expressed by the English
terms spiritual and spirituality is being fully conveyed. The investigation should extend to
how transliterated spirituality has emerged.
As transliterated spirituality is being used in various contexts in Japan, including in
peacebuilding, the next objective is to understand what Lois Gold and Mark S. Umbreit mean
by the English terms spiritual or spirituality when used in the context of mediation. Since
1987 when the first article was published using spirituality in the context of mediation in the
English language, many mediators have used the terms ‘spiritual’ or ‘spirituality’ to describe
their mediation experiences. These voices from mediators and scholars whose practice are
based in various countries such as Australia, China, Ethiopia, India, New Zealand, Northern
Ireland, Sierra Leone, Taiwan, Tanzania, Turkey, and the USA, have been published in English.
Those two authors’ views expressed by those terms are thus cross-referenced to other
English language publications on the topic.
Once the meaning of spirituality was established as used by these two authors in the
mediation context, the third objective of the thesis is to establish whether describing
mediation practice as spiritual in nature is specific to a group of mediators who work in a
proximity and as such whether it is possible to speak of a new model of mediation. The claim
of who mediates matters is put forward by some mediators, including Lois Gold and Mark S.
Umbreit who have described their mediation practice using the terms spiritual or spirituality.
This claim also deserves close attention because Article 7 of Japan’s ADR Act 2004 makes
reference to the idea that who mediates matters.
This investigation will enable the present thesis to establish the extent to which a clear line
can be drawn between mediation experiences that are viewed as spiritual in nature and
those that are explicitly faith-based, in other words, mediation being conducted based on a
choice of institutionalised religious faiths or by sharing the common faiths among the
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mediator and attending clients. Mediation as an academic field has thus far not made
reference to such terms so it is assumed that it is still relatively uncommon and therefore,
under-researched. At the same time, Roberts (2014) has still pointed out the general gap
between practice and theory in the field of Mediation which was pointed out by Rifkin (1994).
Seemingly, the task seems time-consuming and this research should contribute to
accelerating such an integration. Unfamiliarity with spirituality as a concept in the field may
result in professional mediators being reluctant to engage when they come across the term
(Jones, 2009). The present thesis aims to address this reluctance by clarifying any issues and
hindrances that emerge as a result of achieving the third objective albeit limited to the
Japanese-speaking context which only translated Louis Gold and Mark S. Umbreit thus far.
In order to understand the position of the generated notion in the Japanese-speaking
mediation context, the fourth objective is to investigate the development of mediation
practice in Japan to date as well as the expectations of Japanese speaking mediation users.
More specifically, the present thesis investigates whether the generated notion of
‘spirituality’ has intersected with the development of mediation in Japan prior to 2007 when
the notion was introduced by the translation into Japanese of the English articles. Depending
on the outcome, the present thesis will continue to argue one of the followings. If there is
evidence of the notion prior to 2007, differences and similarities in the application of the
term will be analysed. If it only appears to be used after the publication of Gold’s (1993 and
2003) and Umbreit’s (1997 and 2001) work, the question will be posed as to the extent to
which the notion fulfils any of the Japanese speaking mediation users’ expectations.
The fifth objective is to discover whether the currently applied translation of those terms,
namely seishin or the transliterated spirituality, convey the generated meaning of
‘spirituality’ or ‘spiritual’ in the context of mediation for Japanese speakers. Under this
objective, the thesis will ask whether currently applied translations of those terms are better
suited to the Japanese-speaking mediation context and if not, why not. If these translations
are found to be unsuitable or create more hindrances than benefits, the present argument
will be made for the term reisei to be used instead, as it may convey the meaning more
effectively in the specific context of mediation. This objective also allows the present thesis
to analyse the contributions made or controversies generated by those translations when
used in Japan’s mediation context.
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1.3 Disciplinary location of this research To achieve the above discussed aims and objectives, the present thesis sets its disciplinary
location in the study of spirituality (Principe, 1983; Schneiders, 1986 and 1989; Sheldrake,
1999; Wolfteich, 2012). Among these scholars, Schneiders (1989) seems to provide the most
detailed discussion on spirituality as an independent discipline. At this point, a reference to
an example raised by Frohlich (2001), who distinguished what she defines Spiritual Discipline
and Discipline of Spirituality, clarifies this thesis’s disciplinary location. A research on a cult,
for example, may require discussions which are “rhetorical structure, psychological and
sociological characteristics, or cultural heritage” (Frohlich, 2001: 71). When these
discussions became the central to the research, the research is shifting away from Discipline
of Spirituality and its disciplinary location, which can be Psychology, Sociology or Cultural
Studies, becomes Spiritual Discipline. These two, Discipline of Spirituality and Spiritual
Discipline are not the same.
Spirituality now became an academic topic and the increasing quests over what spirituality
means and how the study of spirituality relates to lived experience of the faiths can be
discussed in the discipline (Schneiders, 1989: 676).31 Since no ‘generic spirituality’ exists
because of its nature as lived experience, her suggestion is determining what ‘spirituality’
means can be possibly done by learning the actual life project of the individual (Schneiders,
1989).
In studying spirituality, to obtain detailed descriptions, understanding the phenomenon on
its own terms is essential rather than prescribing and evaluating the experience (Schneiders,
1986). Such an attempt can thus be multi-disciplinary and cross-cultural because it requires
an inclusive and holistic approach to the subject (Schneiders, 1986). In addition, the study
of spirituality requires the researcher’s reflexivity to understand the subject as it involves
concrete individuals rather than classes (Schneiders, 1986). Hence, the objective relies on
the researcher’s interpretation and the validity of it depends on his or her ways of
understanding the subject rather than on statistics. In order to study the development of
31 The readers of the present thesis must recognise the rapid developments of academics. Back in 1993, the opening paragraph of one of innovative mediation journals had to begin stating that some may doubt Mediation was an independent, academic discipline (see Saposnek, 1993a: 1). Nearly 30 years on since, no one would wonder if Mediation is an academic field (see for instance, Georgakopoulos, 2017; Moore, 2014; Roberts and Palmer, 2005).
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spirituality in Japan with a focus on its usage in the context of mediation, the author’s
personal background will contribute to maximising such reflexivity.
Although the study of spirituality is now an independent discipline and no longer the subject
of theological research (Hense and Maas, 2011: 1), the relationship between spirituality and
theology is still strong (for instance, see discussions by Plattig, 2011; Waaijman, 2011). In
fact, Sheldrake (1999: 166) observes the relationship of the two as “[t]heology disconnected
from spirituality becomes abstract and disengaged. Spirituality cut adrift from theology loses
touch with the ‘Great Tradition’ of faith”. Spirituality also maintains the boundary for the
argument about who God is, although it does not answer the question (Lough, 1978: 4).
When the study of spirituality reserves its independent status as an academic discipline
(Schneiders, 1986: 272), the best described relationship of spirituality with theology seems
to be “a disciplinary partner – not as a “subdiscipline”” of it (Wolfteich, 2012: 332-333).
For Principe (1983: 137) who considered spirituality as a common arena for both Christians
and non-Christians, there are three levels of spirituality. The first is “a level of the lived
quality of a person” and “the way some person understood and lived, within his or her
historical context, a chosen religious ideal in sensitivity to the realm of the spirit or the
transcendent” (Principe, 1983: 135). At this level, there are various fields of human
expressions and social behaviours and one of them is justice and peace (Van den Hoogen,
2014: 5), from which mediation has never been distanced and on the contrary is very much
interconnected (Lopez, 2017: 389). The second is, “the foundation of a teaching about the
lived reality” including doctrine formulation (Principe, 1983: 136 emphasis in the original),
and the third is, “the study of various doctrines or traditions (second level) or as the analysis
of different practices and examples (first level)” (Principe, 1985: 137). At this third level,
there are various opinions about what spirituality means, depending on how scholars
understand the term (Principe, 1985: 137). By applying Principe’s three levels of spirituality,
the present thesis explores the notion of spirituality in the Japanese-speaking mediation
context at the third level, while mediators’ voices may well be at the first and perhaps
second levels.
Principe (1983:138, citing Bouyer, 1963) further articulated that, to study spirituality at the
third level, the whole context, including the person’s, group’s or “tradition’s theological and
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religious attitudes” as well as “psychological, historical, anthropological, sociological,
philosophical, linguistic and other influences”, which exist as a branch of religious studies,
should be applied to the area of spirituality. However, he then contested this broad
perspective in the analysis of spirituality because such an approach would turn the analysis
of spirituality into the analysis of religious sensibility, religion, religious consciousness or
mentalities. In his view, spirituality indicates one’s “living a faith or commitment that
concern his or her striving to attain the highest ideal or goal” (Principe, 1983: 139) and such
a spiritual ideal and striving are not necessarily always influenced by, or may sometimes
even be opposed to, religion, religious life or religious practice.
There has been an academic attempt to generate a common definition across some of
academic disciplines by cross-referencing their established definitions of spirituality (for
example, de Souza, 2016). Such cross-referencing is possible only when each and many fields
have formed their own definition. There are many publications on ‘spirituality’ defining what
‘spirituality’ means in various academic disciplines.32 This fact seemingly confirms Principe’s
view. The academic interests go beyond just defining what ‘spirituality’ means. Scholars and
researchers of those disciplines have thus far carried out empirical research on their
concepts of spirituality and some have even made attempts to apply their findings in practice.
For example, in psychology, William James (1902) initially contributed towards detaching
the term ‘spirituality’ from institutionalised religions. Nearly a hundred years on, the
discipline of psychology has steadily been developing its own definition of ‘spirituality’
without relying on other disciplines and the definition is now often used in the context of
‘spiritual, but not religious’ (for example, see Elkins, 1998) based on accumulating
observational evidence.
However, academic researchers in psychology still complain about a lack of consensus in its
disciplinary discourse when discussing the practical applications of ‘spirituality’ in that field’s
research (Vieten, et al. 2013). Despite such a status quo, the present thesis still observes the
practicality of the term as developed in psychology, regardless of whether it from one
32 Although listing all of those disciplines is not possible as the numbers are too large, those include Education (Speck, 2005; Watson, 2003), Health Care including Nursing and Psychiatry (Aten and Leach, 2009; Egan et al., 2011; Mayers and Johnston, 2008; McBrien, 2005; Powell, 2002 and 2007; Reinert and Koenig, 2013; Tanyi, 2002; Young and Koopsen, 2011), Social Work (Coholic, 2003 and 2005; Groen, Coholic, and Graham, 2012; Senreich, 2013), Psychology (Benefiel, Fry, and Geigle, 2014; Ellison and Smith, 1991; James, W. 1902; Ledbetter et al., 1991; Miller, 2004), or Psychotherapy (Maher and Hunt, 1993; Sperry, 2011; West, 2000 and 2009).
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research to another is stable because such development can be traced to the sheer
accumulation of debates on what is meant by the term since James (1902). In a similar
manner, Nursing and Health Care have been trying to generate their own definition of the
term ‘spirituality’ (for example, Egan et al., 2011; Tanyi, 2002). As mentioned earlier, in
Japanese research, Horie (2019) conducted a research establishing meanings of
transliterated spirituality in Psychology and Religious Studies.
In the field of Mediation, its common definition seems not yet to have been established. The
present thesis analyses what the term spiritual or spirituality conveys in the mediation
context, with a focus on the Japanese-speaking mediation context. Accordingly, the main
sources for this analysis is work by Lois Gold and Mark S. Umbreit. Their publications are, at
the time of this research being conducted, the only resources on the topic being translated
into the Japanese language. These two authors’ views are then considered by referring to
other authors on the topic, to develop a pragmatic understanding of the notion.
In conducting its analysis on definitions of the term spiritual or spirituality in the context of
mediation, the present thesis aims to position itself in the “space for an approach which
understands the culture [of mediation] as mutualist, inter-subjective and mutable, and
spirituality as the capacity of [mediators] to create or perhaps discover value and meaning”
of their mediation practice (King, 1996: 350). That is because, “one way of understanding
spirituality is within the changing mutualist interactions of persons who create and recreate
transformation visions of life in the very flow and untidiness of our experience” (King, 1996:
350). Once such a definition is formed, the present thesis then articulates whether the
transliterations of the terms or the translation seishin conveys the accurate meaning
originally intended.
Waaijman (2002) described spirituality as, “the divine-human relational process as
transformation”. Similarly, the present thesis which is concerned with spirituality in the
context of Japanese mediation, views ‘spirituality’ arising in the context of mediation as
people’s lived experiences of the real world. Within this view, the last yet not least important
query left here is to establish the nature of the relationship between ‘spirituality’ as used in
the context of Japanese-speaking mediation and religion or religiosity. This is especially so
given the complex relationship between the two as highlighted by Allport’s (1950) two
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concepts of intrinsic and extrinsic religion and Selvam’s (2015: 136 emphasis original)
additional two matrices which are “spirituality of quest” and a “‘secular’ worldview”. Various
translations of the terms ‘spiritual’ or ‘spirituality’ exist in the Japanese language and the
syncretistic and polytheistic attitudes of people of Japan, which may be vague and implicit
in terms of their general awareness,33 will impact on this relationship. The findings of the
present thesis hopefully contribute to clarifying the relationship by conducting its research
in the study of spirituality.
The following section discusses the methodological approaches and chosen methodology of
this research.
1.4 Methodological approaches and applied methodology The nature of the study of spirituality makes it difficult to limit its methodology solely to, for
example, theology (Van den Hoogen, 2014). This difficulty is the reason why the study of
spirituality is now an independent discipline which should be described its approach as
‘multiple-disciplinary’ rather than ‘interdisciplinary’ or ‘multidisciplinary’, although it is
referred to in different disciplines such as religious studies, sociology, or theology for
instance (Principe, 1983; Schneiders, 1986 and 1989; Sheldrake, 1999; Shimazono, 2012;
Van den Hoogen, 2014; Waaijman, 2002; Wolfteich, 2012). In such a disciplinary field, the
present thesis uses textual analysis by taking a hermeneutic phenomenological approach to
consider the phenomenon of the word ‘spiritual’ or ‘spirituality’ as used in the context of
mediation, albeit in a secular way, which can be recognised as religiously and non-religiously
(Van den Hoogen, 2011 and 2014).34
1.4.1 Multiple disciplinary approach In relation to predetermined research outcomes, Hirano (2015) illustrated her own
difficulties with setting an unbiased research purpose in an academic discipline. In religious
studies, for example, descriptive research extracts religiosity from various study subjects
which have their own respective characteristics and contexts; this can lead to biased
33 As mentioned in the section 1.1 above by referring to scholars such as Ama (1996/2005) and Lewis (2013). 34 Although hermeneutics were traditionally applied to historical texts including the Bible and classic texts, since 15th century on, it has been applied widely in the fields such as history, law, philosophy, and, as a result, extended its study materials to human behaviour, history, nature, and “all existents insofar as people see meaning in them and want to appropriate that meaning” (Waaijman, 2011: 137).
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research results if the researcher only views the research purpose from their own
predetermined religious point of view (Hirano, 2015). Such an approach can be etic yet
cannot avoid researchers’ biases toward their own data analysis and arguments based on
the findings. In other words, the study’s results may be predetermined by the research
purpose. This approach also cannot avoid referring to issues addressed in a variety of
disciplines due to the cross-disciplinary nature of the phenomenon (Inagaki, 2007; Hense,
2011; Ito, 2003: 158-159; Kobayashi, 2007; Matsumoto, 2016; Principe, 1983; Sakurai, 2009;
Shimazono, 2007 and 2012: 46).
The academic approach in studies conducted in Discipline of Spirituality can thus be
described as multidisciplinary or interdisciplinary (Schneiders, 1986; Sheldrake, 1999). This
is illustrated well by, for example, a research by Ohkado (2011).35 For the present thesis to
understand Japanese people’s religiosity, which may or may not include transliterated
spirituality (Miyajima, 2006: 136 by citing Yumiyama, 2006: 91), scholars strongly emphasise
the importance of cross-sectional, multiple disciplinary approaches to the topic by closely
researching different areas such as politics, peacebuilding, education, law, economy and
medicine (Inagaki, 2007; Ito, 2003: 158-159; Kobayashi, 2007; Matsumoto, 2016; Sakurai,
2009; Shimazono, 2007 and 2012: 46).
Those scholars view transliterated spirituality as an indication of the globalised, multi-
dimensional nature of religiosity.36 The present thesis adds a new area of inquiry, mediation,
to the pool of those disciplines, yet must also discuss whether spirituality used in the context
of mediation is the same as religiosity, since this is a central issue for a profession in which
there are already faith-based mediation models, mediation applied within the framework of
religious doctrines.
As an independent academic discipline, thus, spirituality requires references to other
disciplines because ‘spirituality’ is a multidimensional phenomenon which exists within
35 Ohkado (2011) described his research as interdisciplinary by citing the definition of ‘spirituality’ from Elkins, et al. (1988) on humanistic phenomenological spirituality and being published in the Journal of Humanistic Psychology, as well as the World Health Organisation. Elkins et al. (1988) conducted empirical research in psychology by collecting data from teaching staff and students of the Graduate School of Education and Psychology of Pepperdine University in the USA and presented a humanistic definition of spirituality in accordance with psychologists, including Abraham Maslow and William James. However, Ohkado’s (2011) research pertains to reincarnation, hypnosis and xenoglossy rather than Humanistic Psychology or Health Care. 36 As mentioned in 1.1 above.
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different fields (Selvam, 2013; Shimazono, 2012). When discussing multidisciplinary or
interdisciplinary approaches, Choi and Pak (2006: 355) defined the former as drawing
knowledge from other disciplines for the purpose of contrasts yet staying in the same set
disciplinary boundaries; the latter is described as integrating two or more areas of
knowledge to form a new discipline. It is wise not to use terminologies such as multi- or
interdisciplinary, which describe the “varying degree of the same continuum” of multi
disciplines in the research approach, when the nature of the research applying multiple
disciplines is not clear (Choi and Pak, 2006). Instead, a multiple disciplinary approach, which
is effective when addressing complex, real world problems, is recommended as better suited
to indicate the particular nature of such research (Choi and Pak, 2006).
Hense (2011: 14), who has carried out careful examinations of multiple research on
spiritualities, has concluded that at present minor components and forms of spirituality are
embedded in the social aspect of language. Taking this into consideration, the present thesis
analyses what Lois Gold and Mark S. Umbreit as mediators mean when they use the terms
spiritual or spirituality in the English language, as a way to understand the background and
consequences of the Japanese transliteration of those terms already introduced to the
Japanese-speaking mediation context. Although the need to consider spirituality cross-
sectionally by referring to multiple disciplines is recognised as important (Inagaki, 2007; Ito,
2003: 158-159; Kobayashi, 2007; Matsumoto, 2016; Sakurai, 2009; Shimazono, 2007 and
2012: 46), admittedly, the nature of such a research is often not looked into and thus
remains unclear. By following Choi and Pak’s suggestion (2006), therefore, this research,
which is conducted in the field of spirituality, takes a ‘multiple disciplinary’ approach to
understanding and articulating ‘spirituality’ in Japan’s mediation context. By adopting a
multiple disciplinary approach, this research positions itself alongside these Japanese
scholars whose research concerning spirituality.
1.4.2 Hermeneutic phenomenology as a research approach Due to the fluid, flexible yet distinct nature of the discipline, a suitable presupposition for
the study of spirituality is hermeneutical (Schneiders, 1986: 273). In Waaijman’s (2011: 136)
words, “[w]hen important texts from the past have become unintelligible, people appeal to
hermeneutics”. Furthermore, as the study of spirituality concerns phenomena arising from
people’s lived experience and attitudes (Van den Hoogen, 2014; Sheldrake, 1999: 168),
phenomenology which enhances the study of spirituality significantly (see for example,
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Mommaers and Van Bragt, 1995), needs to be used combined with hermeneutics, which
comprises historical perspectives and thus will allow interests promoted in the past to be
identified as distinct from those of the present (Szocik, 2005).
When being combined with hermeneutics, phenomenology sets a necessary framework or
common background, which may be summarised as an approach to the research subjects,
for such research (Szocik, 2005; Van den Hoogen, 2014). Phenomenology makes following
three fundamental contributions to hermeneutics; it clarifies the process of reading; it
provides new insights in the interpretation of reading; and it explores the sense-making
process beyond the written language (Waaijman, 2011: 137). Phenomenological concepts
with which the present thesis deals are expressed through writings by mediators published
in the English language. These publications are based on lived experience, which can fall into
the category of ‘lived spirituality’ (Van den Hoogen, 2014). The present thesis is unique in
using heuristic phenomenology to textually analyse publications by Lois Gold and Mark S.
Umbreit,37 taking their written words on spirituality as texts in order to observe actual
moments of their ‘lived spirituality’. In approaching their ‘spiritual’ experiences in the
context of mediation in a more naturalistic manner, the present thesis aims to minimise the
negative research impacts caused by potential research bias on those authors.
The combination of hermeneutics and phenomenology allows this research to conduct its
analysis by using the logic of question and answer which observes the whole, focuses on the
part and returns to the whole view, to generate understanding (Byrne, 2001; Gadamer,
1975; Weinsheimer, 1985). Thus, the findings of the analysis are organised in terms of
themes or categories (Byrne, 2001), which are outlined in Chapter 3. In fact, this combination
was applied in a study by Jones (2009), who conducted interviews with mediators to
generate a lived definition of spirituality among her participants. Similarly, Mayer and
Boness (2011) applied the same combination to conduct their qualitative, empirical research
to understand cross-cultural conflicts and their management through mediation in
ecclesiastical organisations in Tanzania.38
37 This research method, textual analysis, is discussed in the next subsection. 38 The detailed reviews of Jones (2009) in addition to Mayer and Boness (2011) are in Chapter 2.
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By taking hermeneutical phenomenology, the present thesis understands and brings various
ways of experiencing the target phenomenon, which is to use spirituality in the context of
mediation, and establishes a consensus, albeit limited to a specific milieu (Annells,1996).
Such research requires fixing the research context as a rigid framework. This naturally
overlaps with what Van den Hoogen (2014) outlined as three important lines of analyses in
the theological interpretation of spirituality. They are context, configuration, and dynamism
of a phenomenon, in order to emphasise how such a multiple disciplinary approach is
conducted. The solid research context, which was set up as a study of spirituality arising in
the English-speaking mediation in the previous and current sections, is important because
spirituality as a lived experience of individuals takes place within a framework (Sheldrake,
1999: 168). According to la Cour, Ausker, and Hvidt (2012), who researched how the term
spirituality is understood and used in relation to health issues, the term should be viewed as
something which is a context-bound experience of relatedness to a vertical transcendent
reality.
1.4.3 Textual analysis as a research method The present thesis bases its observations on a textual analysis of publications about
mediation written by Lois Gold and Mark S. Umbreit and the use of spiritual or spirituality in
these texts. The study of spirituality has long used textual analysis, focusing on the linguistic
articulation of spirituality because such a focus can reveal a variety of human experiences in
which spirituality is contained (Van den Hoogen, 2011 and 2014). This research method
should not be confused with contents analysis, which the present thesis avoids using by
reviewing research conducted in Japan on discovering the meaning of ‘awakening the
transliterated spirituality’ (Nakatani, Shimada and Ohigashi, 2013).39
In other words, spirituality is something embedded in human experiences so deeply that it
does not have its own distinct form yet underlies one’s process of realising one’s own
perceived values (Van den Hoogen, 2014). This explains the background of the latest study
by Horie (2019) who examined each definition used in the publication in Japanese and
English in the fields of psychology and religious studies in order to form a meaning of
transliterated spirituality to be used in the Japanese-speaking context.
39 This study by Nakatani, Shimada and Ohigashi (2013) is included in the literature review section in Chapter 2.
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When considering the term spirituality as a symbolic metaphor of expressing our world’s
transformation and metamorphosis, the meaning of the term spirituality changes depending
on who uses the term. As King (1996: 345) points out, its flexibility or ambiguity allows its
users to both reflect on and challenge institutionalised thoughts such as religions. For
instance, in an article on Ethiopian traditional mediation used by Ethiopian immigrants in
Israel, Bobrowski, Timor and Ronel (2017, cited Walker, 2001b) emphasise the spiritual
element of mediation. In this instance, the authors use the terms ‘religious’ and ‘spiritual’
interchangeably even though the cited article of Walker (2001b) does not do so. This
illustrates, at this point in the development of spirituality in the context of mediation as an
academic discipline, how the terms spiritual or spirituality are used rather liberally to express
opinions and views, drawing on earlier publications that use the same terms, without
acknowledging that the contextual meaning may be different.
Textual analysis allows this research to closely investigate such variances in the usage of
those terms by focusing on two main authors, Lois Gold and Mark S. Umbreit. In Van den
Hoogen’s (2014) outline, this is expressed as the configuration of a phenomenon. Using the
term spirituality should be done with caution, paying close attention to the creativity of
humans in time and history because, “a definition of spirituality will always be influenced by
the purpose behind the usage” (King, 1996: 349). Terms such as “secularisation, materialism,
scientism and even religion itself can become blunt tools for catching the complex inner-
subjective and creative ways in which humans weave, construct and challenge meaning and
value” (King, 1996: 350), and the same applies to the term spirituality.
The present thesis argues, however, that it may be fallacious to consider that the term does
not acquire a commonality in its meaning across individuals. Our inner lives are shaped
through communication using common languages and indeed, as King (1996: 350)
acknowledges, in and through interpersonal relationships which give our inner lives shared,
common meanings. Again, in Van den Hoogen’s (2014) interpretation, this illustrates and
explains the dynamism of the phenomena. Hence, defining spirituality based on what a
group of people mean by the term or how they use the term, should be feasible within a
narrow and limited milieu. In order to stay focused on its aim, the present thesis focuses on
those two authors to establish what they mean when they use the terms spiritual or
spirituality in the mediation context. This does not, however, ignore the voices of other
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mediators who use these terms in their publications. On the contrary, these other voices are
used to develop a fuller, more comprehensive understanding of those two authors to help
in the task of analysing the suitability of the currently applied Japanese translations for those
English terms.
There are additional reasons why this research applies textual analysis as a research method.
Textual analysis allows researchers to, “interpret texts (…) in order to try and obtain a sense
of the ways in which, in particular cultures at particular times, people make sense of the
world around them” (McKee, 2003: 1) because “the ways of making sense of the world
employed” can be culturally dependent and specific (McKee, 2003: 4 and 67). Textual
analysis also enables a focus on connotative meanings by following an abductive research
strategy (Bauer, Bicquelet, and Suerdem, 2014: xxviii; Blaikie, 2007: 88). McKee (2003: 1)
explains textual analysis as the researcher making, “an educated guess at some of the most
likely interpretations that might be made of that text”.40 Any means of communication that
produces an interpretation of meanings can be a text (Fairclough, 2004: 3; McKee, 2003: 4).
Any instance of language in any medium used, in a meaning-making process and functioning
in a particular context is categorised as a text (Halliday and Matthiessen, 2014: 3).
This kind of interpretivism applied to textual analysis, “looks for culturally derived and
historically situated interpretations of the social life-world” (Bryman, 2012: 399; Crotty,
1988: 67). In the present thesis, the texts to be analysed are academic publications in English,
predominantly written by Lois Gold and Mark S. Umbreit and pertaining to the field of
mediation. However, there are many articles that use the terms spiritual or spirituality
published by other authors whose mediation practice is based in countries such as the
Australia, China, Ethiopia, India, New Zealand, Northern Ireland, Sierra Leone, Taiwan,
Tanzania, Turkey, and the USA. Karcic (2006: 192) proposes that textual analysis is conducted
by:
breaking down of something into its component parts. Consequently, to analyse a text means to break it down into its component parts, to examine them, and to offer an interpretation of the component parts as well as of the whole. By means of interpretation we are able to go beyond the obvious meaning of the text and to read the implied meaning or sub-text.
40 This ‘educated guess’ suggested by McKee (2003) was interpreted and understood by the author of the present thesis as perhaps something similar to an ‘academic common sense’. In other words, the interpretation used and applied in textual analysis of one researcher would likely be supported and agreed by the audiences whose academic backgrounds, hence education, are similar to the researcher.
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Once those two authors’ publications are broken down into precepts in terms of each
component of their meaning of spirituality, other authors’ publications are thus used to
examine, discuss and argue those precepts. By using a hermeneutic phenomenological
approach, the present thesis expects to “grasp the unknown whole from the known parts”
(Blaikie, 2007: 107).
Through such interpretation, the hermeneutic approach enables the present thesis to
examine whether the transliterated spirituality or seishin conveys what these two authors
mean by the English term spirituality in the mediation context. Such analysis aims to
generate explicit meanings and interpretations of those authors’ own understandings which
may not be clear to the authors themselves. As Crotty (1988: 91) has argued, “determination
of meaning is a matter of practical judgment and common sense, not just abstract theorising”
and, consequently, the hermeneutic mode of understanding must be situated culturally as
well as historically.
Textual analysis aids in the understanding of “different cultures’ sense-making practices”
when “the physical surroundings may look similar, but the way in which the culture makes
sense of them is very different” because the outcomes of the interpretation will differ
depending on the researcher’s approach to the practices (McKee, 2003: 12). This means that
the researcher’s reflexivity, again, will benefit the generation of data through textual
analysis as well as to analyse the suitability and consequences of the currently used
translations for the English word ‘spirituality’ in the context of mediation.
The following section discusses the limitations of the present thesis.
1.5 Limitations of this research
1.5.1 Objectivity and subjectivity Some of the limitations of the present thesis depend on whether objectivity is considered to
be a necessary factor in the validity and reliability of its findings. Similarly, validity and
reliability are measured in different ways depending on the applied theoretical perspectives
and principles (Mason, 1996: 21).
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Objectivism considers “meaning, and therefore meaningful reality, exists as such apart from
the operation of any consciousness” (Crotty, 1988: 8). In positivist research which applies
objectivism, the research findings are expected to retain a certain degree of validity, which
is, “the capacity of research techniques to encapsulate the characteristics of the concepts
being studied” (Payne and Payne, 2004: 233), and reliability, which is the consistency of the
research findings (Bryman, 2012: 167), so to gauge a concept really measures that concept
(Bryman, 2012: 171). If ‘objectivity’ exists and can be achieved free from the interpreter’s
reflexivity, lack of objectivity should be counted as a limitation of the present thesis because
textual analysis cannot be conducted without the author interpreting the contents of texts.
Indeed, there is “no such thing as an ‘objective’ analysis of text, if by that we mean an
analysis which simply describes what is ‘there’ in the text without being ‘biased’ by the
‘subjectivity’ of the analyst” (Fairclough, 2004: 14-15).
On this basis, a qualitative approach that conducts textual analysis within a hermeneutic
perspective cannot be objective, in the positivist sense, “the principle drawn from positivism
that […] researchers should remain distanced from what they study so findings depend on
the nature of what was studied rather than on the personality, beliefs and values of the
researcher” (Payne and Payne, 2004: 152). Findings that arise from qualitative research can
also be criticised for being too impressionistic and therefore subjective (Bryman, 2012: 405-
406). Furthermore, the results or findings that are generated by qualitative research are
difficult to replicate and therefore cannot be generalised. Another limitation is that such
research can be seen to lack transparency regarding, “what the researcher actually did and
how he or she arrived at the study’s conclusions” (Bryman, 2012: 406). However, this thesis
is not situated within a positivist framework but within a constructivist one.
This study positions itself within constructionism and as a piece of qualitative research, is
embedded in an interpretivist paradigm (Crotty, 1988: 9), although it would be unwise to
posit a simple division between qualitative and quantitative research based on their
epistemological presumptions (Crotty, 1988: 15). Although constructionism as an
epistemological foundation of interpretivism does not necessarily mean to be subjective, in
interpretivism, “subjectivity is valued; there is acknowledgement that humans are incapable
of total objectivity because they are situated in a reality constructed by subjective
experiences” (Ajjawi and Higgs, 2007: 614). Because it aims to identify the ‘collective
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generation’ of meaning (Crotty, 1988: 52 and 58), what is discovered through interpretivist
research methods such as textual analysis, is subject to challenge with regards to whether
the authors are telling the truth, whether this ‘truth’ would be true for others, and whether,
therefore, the research results can be thought of as universal (Seidman, 1998: 17). In order
to provide as objective an analysis as possible, the present thesis analyses the findings of the
textual analysis by referring to other articles written on spirituality and mediation in the
English language.
Researcher reflexivity, another characteristic of this research, introduces an inherent
element of bias into analysis of the data (Blaikie, 2007: 188). Firstly, the interpreted text will
to some extent be influenced by the researcher’s reflexivity. Furthermore, the findings based
on the interpretation may not be accepted by some readers if the one’s backgrounds are
different from what the research discussed. On the other hand, reflexivity can enable a
‘collective generation’ of meaning and the interpretivist research findings can become a
shared interest within a certain group of people, such as practitioners in a certain field,
without acquiring ‘objectivity’ in a universal sense. In this case, the findings of the present
thesis should benefit mediators working with Japanese speaking clients and the clients
themselves by clarifying the meanings of the English terms spiritual and spirituality as
currently translated by transliterate spirituality and seishin in the Japanese-speaking
mediation context.
In using textual analysis to discover the meanings of the terms spiritual or spirituality used
by the selected mediators, namely Lois Gold and Mark S. Umbreit, the data analysis may be
viewed as subjective. However, at the same time as this type of analysis cannot be carried
out without involving the subjectivity, the researcher’s subjectivity becomes central to
achieving the aims of the research.
1.5.2 Limited resources Mediators and academic researchers on mediation have not collaborated closely enough to
have produced thus far many practical implications of academic studies (Rifkin, 1994;
Roberts, 2014; Susskind and Susskind, 2008: 201). This has long been identified as one of the
major challenges of the profession (Nudler, 1993: 3; Currie, 1998: 70). Legislatures of Japan
also admit that there is a shortage of academic data on mediation practice (HoR, 2004b: 3).
In addition, there is limited information available on transliterated spirituality from previous
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studies (Ama, 1996; Nishimura, 2018). The second limitation is thus the significant dearth of
opportunities to integrate the practical and academic opinions about spirituality, which
makes it “impossible to use a comprehensive format and study all […] at the same time”
(Hense, 2011: 12), and mediation practice.
One of the aims of the present thesis is to clarify whether current Japanese translations for
the English terms spiritual or spirituality accurately reflect their meaning in the Japanese-
speaking mediation context as intended by Lois Gold and Mark S. Umbreit’s work on
mediation. The findings of the present thesis will therefore help future research by providing
the meaning of those terms so that enable them, for example, to reach out to thus far
unpublished voices of mediators who may or may not use such terms. This study could also
be used as a basis for future research to investigate whether the notion of spirituality used
in the context of Japanese-speaking mediation is important and supported by or irrelevant
and rejected by its users, including mediators and prospective clients, and if so, why. Overall,
the present thesis contributes to the growing body of work and available data regarding
spirituality and mediation.
1.5.3 Findings and discussions in a limited milieu The present thesis does not intend to deny opinions put forward by scholars such as Fiss
(1984; 1985) who has argued against the effectiveness of mediation and believes litigation
to be the most suitable method to pursue justice. Litigation should function as it is and be
available to any citizens within its formal justice system. Considering the aims of this
research, the voices, that have contended that legal practice such as lawyering and making
decisions in courts can also be said to contain a ‘spiritual’ dimension (for instance, see Hall,
2010 and 2005), have therefore been excluded from the present study.
The resources used in the textual analysis presented in this thesis are the writings of Lois
Gold and Mark S. Umbreit that make reference to the terms spiritual or spirituality in the
English language, writings that are publicly available to those who understand the language.
While their views do not represent the opinions of all English-speaking mediators,41 their
publications provide data that can be analysed as part of investigating the meanings of the
English terms spiritual and spirituality as used by those two authors. Although their views
41 Especially, those of whom have devoted their time to providing mediation services and to solving disputes instead of spending it on academic developments of mediation.
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and meanings may be categorised as a minority given the fact not many mediators refer to
the terms spiritual and spirituality in their academic publications, the voices of such minority
mediators are still significant and important in the present thesis concerning the potential
impact of the Japanese translations of those terms on the Japanese-speaking mediation
context.
The present thesis does not claim that its findings are applicable to all settings in which
mediation takes place (see for instance, Hense, 2011). Studies such as Schwartz (1992),
which sought to identify cross-cultural values that are important to human behaviour in
investigating spirituality, appear to be weak as they only focus on certain aspects of
spirituality and ignore others (Hense, 2011). Articles about mediation that make reference
to the terms spiritual or spirituality are published in English all over the world. For example,
hard copies of Umbreit’s work have been published in multiple countries including Northern
Ireland, the UK and the USA. On the other hand, by referring to Japanese, in some senses
the present thesis is predominantly limited to Japanese society as there is no other country
that uses the language as its official one. However, such Japanese-speaking communities do
exist in other countries. Although by referring to the published resources of Lois Gold and
Mark S Umbreit, the arguments presented in this thesis are not restricted to one English
speaking country. It should be noted that the research investigates issues that will be
relevant to relatively small interest groups.
Despite these limitations, the present thesis examines whether transliterated spirituality
and seishin are best suited to convey the meanings of those English terms as used in a
mediation context in Japan. Because of the nature of the term spirituality, that has been
described as having, “a certain fluidity, not to say vagueness, in the use of the term” (Principe,
1985; 129), one of the aims of the research is to generate “a description of different
spiritualities, a presentation that would be derived from the sources, widely conceived that
have been studied […and then make] comparison of different spiritualities” (Principe, 1983:
140). In the present thesis, such a comparison is made within the Japanese-speaking
mediation context by focusing on seishin, reisei and their succeeding word, transliterated
spirituality (Horie, 2009). Such a comparison is achieved by generating the meanings of the
English term spiritual or spirituality in the work of two practicing mediators.
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To conclude this chapter, the next section gives an overview of what is discussed in the
subsequent chapters.
1.6 Structure of the thesis The present thesis develops its arguments discussing the objectives as highlighted in the
section 1.2 above in each chapter.
To define and clarify what transliterated spirituality means in Japan, the first section of
Chapter 2 reviews Japanese academic opinions on spirituality to establish the directions for
the present thesis to develop its arguments in relation to spirituality used in the context of
mediation. This section subsequently raises some concerns and outlines how this research
overcomes those concerns through a review on previous research conducted in Japan in
relation to spirituality or on spirituality used in the English-speaking mediation context,
albeit briefly due to the shortage of resources. Next, in the section of 2.3, the meanings of
transliterated spirituality are defined and clarified. The following subsection more
specifically discusses the meanings of transliterated spirituality used in peacebuilding, a field
that is a close neighbour of mediation. By achieving objective one, this chapter highlights
that translating from English to Japanese is a complex process, particularly with regards to
the use of transliterated spirituality as an equivalent of the English term spirituality.
In Chapter 3, the textual analysis reveals what Lois Gold and Mark S. Umbreit mean by
spiritual or spirituality in the context of mediation. This meets the second objective. The
texts chosen to generate the core precepts were translated into Japanese and published in
Japan. In order to understand their arguments pragmatically, this chapter then refers to
other publications under each of those core precepts and articulates the meanings in the
English mediation context. For the purpose of cross-referencing, more than 32 additional
articles were identified that have been published on the topic in the English language written
by various researchers and scholars of mediation in different countries such as Australia,
China, Ethiopia, India, New Zealand, Sierra Leone, Taiwan, Tanzania, Turkey in addition to
Northern Ireland, the UK, and the USA. This chapter articulates any important remarks and
issues arising from the publications by Lois Gold and Mark S. Umbreit, so that the subsequent
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chapters, once any issues being clarified in Chapter 4, can use the precepts to develop its
arguments in the context of Japanese-speaking mediation.
First to discuss in Chapter 4 are as following; how mediation practice as described using the
terms spiritual or spirituality might differ from the transformative model of mediation and
whether and how the usage of those terms differs from the transformation that is referred
to in that model. The second point is whether the application of those terms in the context
of mediation is an indication of mysticism, which is described against the background of
spirituality but conflicts with rationality if spirituality is understood as mysticism (Waaijman,
2002). Establishing whether spirituality as used by Gold and Umbreit is the same as
mysticism is important as it has implications for mediation in the Japanese context in which
mediators are assumed to work with clients rationally. In addition, such an argument
enables this research to identify whether the term spirituality used by Gold and Umbreit is
contemporary or traditional one. If the latter, their references might be influenced by, or as
a result of, the world’s religions (Jespers, 2011). Overall, Chapters 3 and 4 offer a deeper
understanding of what the two mediators wish to convey in using those terms, thereby
meeting the research’s third objective.
The notion of using spirituality in the context of mediation was introduced to Japan in 2007
through the use of transliterated spirituality and seishin. While transliterated spirituality
appeared only in the late 1970s and has been used more frequently since the 1990s (Horie,
2003, 2015 and 2018; Shimazono, 2007a, 2007b and 2012), mediation practice in Japan was
established long before then. By understanding the two authors’ notion of spirituality in the
context of mediation, Chapter 5 thus examines the generated meanings of spirituality in the
Japanese-speaking mediation context. This is to meet the fourth objective. Such discussions
take place by analysing whether any of the precepts intersect with Japan’s mediation
context. The analysis is conducted by discussing the development of mediation up to and
including the recent enactment of legislation in 2007, the ADR Act 2004 which both certifies
or disqualifies certain groups of ‘mediators.
In order to understand the status quo of mediation in contemporary Japan, a case study in
the section 5.3 articulates the expectations of people in Japan who experience disputes. This
enables the present thesis to investigate whether any of the users’ expectations in the
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Japanese-speaking mediation context have been fulfilled by introducing the notion of
spirituality to the context in 2007. This chapter seeks to identify whether the notion of
spirituality introduced to the context of Japanese-speaking mediation has made a useful
contribution or has simply created controversy.
Once the meaning of the notion has been thoroughly examined in the Japanese-speaking
mediation context, Chapter 6 fulfils the fifth objective by examining the suitability of current
translations. The reasons why the currently applied translations were selected despite
existing issues as highlighted in Chapter 2, are discussed. This chapter then contemplates
whether the currently applied Japanese transliterations of those terms convey the
generated meaning of ‘spirituality’ or ‘spiritual’ in the context of mediation. Such discussions
embrace arguments about whether the audience in Japan, including mediators themselves,
understand the usage of those English terms through the translations currently used in the
context of Japanese-speaking mediation.
The final section in Chapter 6, depending on the earlier discussion, considers whether to use
reisei as a translation of ‘spirituality’ in the mediation context instead of the currently
applied transliterated spirituality or seishin. As discussed earlier in this chapter,
transliterated spirituality has been used instead of the words seishin or reisei although
seishin and reisei do not mean the same in the Japanese language (Horie, 2003; Suzuki,
1944/1972).
To conclude the discussion developed in this thesis, Chapter 7 summarises whether it has
provoked any controversies and the overall contributions that the terms spiritual or
spirituality have made in the Japanese-speaking mediation context.
Chapter 8 concludes the thesis by making recommendations for further research. It suggests
that the notion of using spirituality in the Japanese-speaking mediation context as well as a
more generic academic investigation of spirituality in Japan, need further exploration. The
research findings of the present thesis contribute to deepening the understanding and
observation of Japanese transliterated spirituality and surrounding issues. As a result, the
present thesis enriches the practice of mediation for Japanese speaking mediators and also
contributes to their clients making informed decisions regarding their mediation. The
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conclusions of the present thesis improve the quality of Japanese-speaking mediation, which
is currently exposing both the mediators and clients to the ill-defined terms spiritual or
spirituality albeit in translated forms, by providing the meanings of those terms and also
suggesting which term of three, transliterated spirituality, seishin or reisei is better suited to
use in the Japanese-speaking mediation context.
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2 Transliterated spirituality in Japan
2.1 Introduction Chapter 1 gave an overview of the research conducted for the purposes of this thesis,
including its context, disciplinary underpinning, and methodological approach. The notion
of using transliterated spirituality in Japan’s mediation context has a relatively short history,
and in other academic fields, these terms have only been researched since the 1990s in
Japan (Haga, 2007; Horie, 2003, 2015 and 2018; Shimazono, 2007a, 2007b and 2012).
Therefore, it is no surprise that there is no empirical research available pertaining to
mediation in Japan that could provide a starting point for the research.
The suitability of seishin as a Japanese translation for the English term spirituality used by
Lois Gold and Mark S. Umbreit has already been questioned in Chapter 1 by referring to
Ando (2012) and Tazaki, Matsuda, and Nakane (2001 and 2002). Although Kashio (2012: i)
states seishinteki and transliterated spiritual can be used as translations for the English term
spiritual, thus far, he has not conducted any empirical studies to support his view. Therefore,
arguments regarding the suitability of the term seishin as a translation of the English term
spirituality in the context of Japanese-speaking mediation needs to be left for the later
chapter where the meanings of the English terms spiritual or spirituality in the mediation
context will be generated through textual analysis.
Based on the body of work by Japanese scholars in the fields of mediation and spirituality,
the first section of this chapter reviews the academic arguments raised in the past 15 years
by these scholars in relation to the methodological approaches adopted in spirituality
research conducted in Japan. Research into spirituality is evolving rapidly and academic
views of spirituality articulated in the early 2000s are already being challenged as outdated
(see for instance, Haga, 2007; Horie, 2018; Shimazono, 2007a). Horie (2019) describes this
fast expansion and popularity of transliterated spiritual or spirituality among people in Japan,
known as a ‘spiritual boom’ meaning a ‘rapid trend of spirituality’ (Gaitanidis: 2012), now
tailed off.
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By using the findings together with the research methods and methodology of the present
thesis discussed in Chapter 1, this first section then examines five empirical studies on
spirituality. The studies conducted in the context of mediation in the English language are
Jones (2009), Mayer and Boness (2011), and Nun (2011). The remaining two, Nakatani,
Shimada and Ohigashi (2013) and Horie (2019), are Japanese research, which analysed
transliterated spirituality and the English term spirituality albeit in different contexts.
In doing so, the present thesis tries to learn from past studies. The analyses of these studies
are also expected to produce a pathway to follow based on academic opinions in the field
of spirituality research. By following the path, the present thesis discusses, in the subsequent
chapters, the suitability of current Japanese translations for the English term spiritual or
spirituality as applied in the context of mediation to discover its contributions to practice
and any controversies that have emerged.
The second section discusses two further topics to identify issues arising from introducing
transliterated spirituality to the Japanese-speaking mediation context: the usages of
transliterated spirituality in Japan and the current status of peacebuilding, one of the
professions in which ‘spiritual’ and ‘spirituality’ intersect. In Japan, peacebuilding, which is
an academic field overlapping mediation although as a profession it is categorised entirely
differently (Lederarch, 1997; LeResche, 1993; Zelizer and Chiochetti, 2017), has been using
the notion of transliterated spirituality well before its introduction to the mediation context.
The discussions in this second section aid the present thesis in overviewing any potential
issues, risks and benefits that the Japanese-speaking mediation faces as a result of
introducing the notion presented by English-speaking mediators to the context by using
transliterated spirituality.42
As for the conclusion, the present thesis emphasises the importance of this research
concerning transliterated spirituality in Japan’s mediation service.
42 In Chapter 1, the importance of cross-sectional approach to the topic of spirituality has already highlighted (Inagaki, 2007; Ito, 2003: 158-159; Kobayashi, 2007; Matsumoto, 2016; Sakurai, 2009; Shimazono, 2007a and 2012: 46).
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2.2 Literature reviews: research into spirituality and transliterated spirituality
2.2.1 Academic opinions on research into spirituality published in Japanese
The present thesis has deliberately avoided to position its research in religious studies
because the fundamental question, whether transliterated spirituality has anything to do
with religion or religiosity in Japan, has not yet been answered definitively (see for instance,
Horie, 2018: 141-143; Ito, Kashio, and Yumiyama, 2004; Kasai, 2003; Kashio, 2004 and 2015;
Matsuura, 2009; Shimazono, 2007a, 2007b, and 2012). Nonetheless, some religious studies
scholars consider that a wide definition of religion includes spirituality (Shimazono, 2012).
By contrast, Horie (2009; 2018) argues that transliterated spirituality is systematised by
being embedded in institutionalised religion and re-visualised as a result.43 In his latest
research, Horie (2019: 15) concludes that transliterated spirituality includes something
essential to religions, yet it is also possible to experience it privately and without belonging
to institutionalised religions. Thus, the relationship between transliterated spirituality and
religion or religiosity cannot yet be conclusive at this point of academic progress, especially
pertaining the context of mediation.
In addition, Japanese academic research in relation to transliterated spirituality has been
conducted in many fields other than in religious studies (for example, see Kashio, 2002;
2012; Shimazono, 2007a; and Yuasa, 2003). Researchers choose their research context
flexibly because transliterated spirituality has yet to gain sufficient recognition by the
general public that would enable it to be identified as a discipline and be defined accordingly
(Ito, 2012; Nakagawa, 2012). What is clear at this point is that when mediation is conducted
based on specific religious faiths, it can be categorised as faith-based mediation. Faith-based
mediation has been defined as mediation in which, “religious creed, objects (i.e. symbols,
texts, images, principles etc.) and institutions play an important role” to both the mediators
and their clients (Bercovitch and Kadayifci-Orellana, 2009: 185).
Faith-based mediators are those who, “are motivated and inspired by their spiritual and
religious traditions, principles, and values to undertake peace work” (Bercovitch and
43 This point will be further expanded in section 2.3 below.
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Kadayifci-Orellana, 2009: 185), and their faith needs to be shared by their clients. However,
mediation offered outside of these faith-based contexts, is one of many fields in which the
notion of transliterated spirituality has been introduced through publications since 2007 and
shared with the public, yet without a debate about the meaning of the term and a clear
definition of what it contributes to this context.
Because of this lack of definition of what is meant by transliterated spirituality, the
relationship between spirituality and religion in the Japanese-speaking mediation context is
unclear. Ando (2006), a religious studies scholar in Japan, suggests four different
descriptions of the relationship between transliterated spirituality and religion:
transliterated spirituality includes religion; the two overlap while being partially different;
religion contains spirituality; both are entirely different (for similar arguments in Kasai, 2003:
124).
Ando’s (2006) fourth category, often encapsulated by the phrase ‘spiritual but not religious’,
would be provocative in the context of mediation because of the faith-based mediation
model. This would mean that religious people are not spiritual if applied in the context of
mediation, without knowing the meaning of the term. How would mediators who use a faith-
based mediation model understand the phrase, ‘mediation is spiritual in nature’ (Jones,
2009), in the light of the fourth category? Alternatively, had spirituality used in the
mediation context been religion, the arguments put forward by Lois Gold and Mark S.
Umbreit can become a part of faith-based mediation.
It is important, therefore, to first understand the original text’s meaning to translate the
English term spirituality into Japanese language to convey its meaning accurately. Similarly,
Hirano (2015: 150) lists sociology as another example which faces different relationships
between transliterated spirituality and religions. By citing Bourdieu and Wacquant (1992),
Hirano (2015) proposes that the social and historical contexts of transliterated spirituality at
stake are necessary if and when transliterated spirituality as a research subject may overlap
but cannot be fully included in the concept of religiosity. Once establishing such an inclusive,
wider research context, the term can be defined and the definition allows studies to draw
comparisons between different eras, social contexts or academic disciplines (Hirano, 2015).
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Nonetheless, Hirano’s approach is valid only when the field of study has developed enough
for studies to predict and determine that transliterated spirituality overlaps with religiosity.
In other words, Hirano’s (2015) approach is possible when and if transliterated spirituality
has already acquired its definition in the field. As discussed in Chapter 1, in mediation, the
definition or meaning of the English terms spiritual and spirituality has not yet been clearly
defined; as a result, transliterated spirituality in this context remains vague in its meaning.
Also, as discussed previously, both transliterated spirituality and the English term spirituality,
appear cross-sectionally and bear different meanings in each context. One threat to the
profession, therefore, is that prospective mediation clients or mediators themselves, will be
misled by a translation that intersects with other fields while meaning something different.
Horie (2015) proposed that an alternative way of approaching transliterated spirituality as a
research material is to describe the phenomenon from the point of view of the study subject
at stake, so that to generate the meaning of transliterated spirituality. Hence, this research
is conducted by letting the study subject to define what the term means. In order to do so,
social and historical contexts need to be included in the research.44 In this way, a precise
definition of transliterated spirituality at the start of the research is not necessary. Instead,
a definition can be generated within the parameters and context of the study itself and this
can be used in future studies to compare and contrast with other similar phenomena in
different disciplines and other historical or social contexts.45
This approach is especially useful to clarify the situation in which the practitioners of a
particular field are often not concerned with the whole picture of transliterated spirituality.
For instance, some practitioners do not consider the risks of using transliterated spirituality
such as the other meanings of the term in different contexts, when they use it because other
potential definitions of the same term are often considered irrelevant to their professional
practice (Ando, 2006: 75; Horie, 2015).
Furthermore, this research must pay attention to the fact that this relatively new term,
transliterated spirituality, has only been used since the 1970s and been the subject of
academic research since the 1990s (Horie, 2003 and 2018; Shimazono, 2007a, 2007b and
44 Ito (2012) followed this approach in conducting his research. 45 As Hirano (2015) listed.
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2012). Given the proposal put forward by Horie (2003) that the appearance of transliterated
spirituality has succeeded the Japanese terms seishin and reisei (see also, Kashio, 2012), it is
vital to review whether seishin or reisei have intersected with the development of mediation
in Japan. Such a historical overview of how transliterated spirituality has intersected with
the development of Japanese-speaking mediation is also important in order to fully
elaborate the issues and to discuss the suitability of the currently applied translations of the
English terms spiritual and spirituality in Japan’s mediation context.
In order to determine how to approach the terms spiritual and spirituality used in the
mediation context, the next subsection reviews a few studies that are relevant to the focus
of the present thesis.
2.2.2 Lessons from previous research: Nakatani, Shimada and Ohigashi (2013), Jones (2009), Mayer and Boness (2011), Nun (2011) and Horie (2019)46
As discussed extensively in Chapter 1, the chosen research method of the present thesis is
textual analysis. The selection was made based on Van den Hoogen (2011 and 2014) in
addition to reviewing studies that are similar to this study. For example, by using concept
analysis (as used in Walker and Avant, 2005), Nakatani, Shimada and Ohigashi (2013)
generated concepts related to ‘awakening spirituality’ used in Japanese academic texts and
came up with the following key words: ‘spirituality’, ‘spiritual’, ‘awakening’, ‘crisis’, ‘the
transliteration crisis’, ‘concepts’, ‘grief’, ‘sadness’, and ‘Japanese’. In their study also,
spirituality was transliterated.
The difference with this study was that their definition of spirituality was sought without
limiting the search to one academic field whereas the present study’s investigation is limited
to the context of mediation. Their applied research method, conceptual analysis, requires
the researcher to set the definition of the subject term based on previous studies in the field.
The concept needs to be already in the literature, have already been defined and clarified
and the task is then to conduct further analysis in order to develop the definition to the next
46 The research by Horie (2019) was published on 19 November 2019 which, unfortunately, did not allow enough time for the present thesis to analyse his research in detail to the extent of examining his as a precedent research method of this research. However, the fact that Dr Norichika Horie of the University of Tokyo, one of a few leading Spirituality researchers of Japan, conducted his research in the same approach as this present thesis employs is encouraging, although the contexts differ.
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level. In their case, defining transliterated spirituality was possible by drawing on previous
research in the field of health care.
In the context of mediation, there are three empirical studies that have investigated the
definition of the English term spirituality: Jones (2009), Mayer and Boness (2011) and Nun
(2011).
Jones (2009: 146) as a researcher chose to explore the concept of spirituality through the
voice of participants by conducting interviews with mediators. Taking a hermeneutic
phenomenological approach, she defined spirituality based on her interview data as follows:
“[s]pirituality in practice is not about having the answers or applying specific models, but
letting go of ego and control, allowing oneself to be open to awareness and intuition that
will permit the path to open to resolution” (Jones, 2009: 163). Her study also involved
observers who watched the mediation sessions held by mediators who described their
mediation as having a spiritual dimension; these observers stated that they could see
something spiritual happening in the session.
However, her research article does not state what interview questions were asked to
generate the definition nor how Jones herself as a researcher explained to those observers
what to record during the mediation sessions for her research. It also omitted to provide
information on how the invitation to participate was worded nor how study participants,
including mediators, their observers as well as their mediation clients, were selected. Jones
followed the approach suggested by Horie (2015) which is to study a subject without having
a predetermined definition, yet she fails to disclose how participants were informed of the
target phenomenon. As a qualitative research, her findings therefore may be biased by the
selection process. Indeed, without having some working definition of the term, it is
questionable whether bias can be avoided, regardless of whether the research is qualitative
or quantitative.
When embarking upon an investigation of spirituality and mediation, a working definition of
what spirituality means can be helpful. Mayer and Boness (2011), for example, in their
exploration of issues related to cross-cultural conflict and its management in ecclesiastical
organizations in Tanzania, defined spirituality in accordance with their religious doctrines. In
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this research context, where the aim was to discover the role of their shared spirituality and
the role of the organizations to manage cross-cultural conflicts, the study findings,
generated through interviews, were not affected because the participants as well as the
researchers had a shared consensus in relation to what spirituality meant.
The difficulties of establishing a shared consensus regarding the meaning of spirituality is
illustrated by the research of Nun (2011). This qualitative research investigated the role of
spirituality as a motivator for conflict resolution and involved practitioners including
mediators. In this study, Nun (2011) also used interviews with the aim of investigating how
spirituality influences practitioners offering conflict resolution. Nun (2011: 23-28 and 51-56)
used academic resources to define spirituality. The study participants whom Nun, as a
researcher, “identified as spiritual” were then selected (Nun, 2011: 43). However, she did
not make explicit how she judged them as being spiritual and there was no evidence that
she shared her definition of spirituality with the study participants, who were asked to define
what spirituality meant to them (Nun, 2011: 112). The fact that participants were selected
based on her own definition of spirituality would have restricted the variety of definitions
offered in the interviews. As a result, the outcomes of this research were to some extent
predetermined. In this regard, Bourdieu and Wacquant (1992) warn of the dangers of
selecting study participants based on a definition generated by the researcher yet without
sharing this definition with the participants.
In formulating their definition, neither Jones (2009) nor Nun (2011) make cross-references
to many of the previous publications that use the English term spirituality in describing
mediation practice. This lack of extensive cross-referencing causes confusion in terms of
establishing a working definition for the term spirituality in the context of mediation when
there is no influence from religion unlike Mayer and Boness (2011). As a result, subsequent
research such as the present study, are left with multiple definitions. As stated previously,
when translating the term from English to Japanese in the mediation context, two different
Japanese words have been used for the English term spirituality,47 and the present thesis
argues that this is a result of the gap in current studies on spirituality and mediation practice.
47 As discussed in Chapter 1.
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Despite the limitations and difficulties that have been identified in the study of spirituality
in the context of mediation, these previous studies are nonetheless significant and useful
for understanding the current situation of the English-speaking mediation context, which
appears to be multi-cultural, international and cross-cultural. As reflections of those
researchers’ opinions, views and values, these publications, whilst not providing evidence-
based, empirically tested or scientifically proven definitions, convey the ineffable, elusive
nature of the terms spiritual and spirituality when used in the mediation context.
In addition, as also briefly mentioned in Chapter 1, Horie (2019) conducted a similar research
as the present thesis. His approach was to focus on both English and Japanese publications
in order to generate the meaning of transliterated spirituality to use in psychology and
sociology of religion. However, his research context was so broad that the generated
meaning risks being overgeneralised to the extent overlooking individual meanings
contained in the term. In the present thesis, it is hoped that minority voices are noticed by
focusing on the narrow context of mediation and using the selected source articles which
were only translated and published in the Japanese mediation context.48
Furthermore, because transliterated spirituality is a relatively new term in Japanese
language (Horie, 2003, 2015 and 2018; Shimazono, 2007a, 2007b and 2012), Horie (2019)
conducted his research on the basis that the English term spirituality and transliterated
spirituality should mean the same in those disciplines of both Japanese and English
languages. In other words, Horie (2019) tried to bridge the gap between meanings of
spirituality in two languages used in those disciplines. For the purpose of the present thesis,
this is the difference from Horie’s research. In order to generate the meaning in such a
manner in the context of mediation, the question whether transliterated spirituality is the
translation for the English term spirituality must first be answered.
In the Japanese-speaking mediation context, Ishihara (as cited in Kumamoto Jinzai Shinbun,
2012) is currently the only one published who voluntarily used the term transliterated
spirituality, and her reference to the term was in a parallel of the term ‘love’.49 However, the
English term ‘love’ is not ‘spirituality’. Considering the status quo of English- and Japanese-
48 The detailed methodological approaches and methods are discussed Chapter 1. 49 As mentioned in Chapter 1 and further discussed in 2.3 below.
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speaking mediation contexts, Horie’s (2019) research methods cannot yet be followed by
the research in the present thesis. However, his research is helpful and inspiring for the
present research which seeks the meaning of transliterated spirituality or seishin used in the
context of mediation in resource written in English.
This research carries out textual analysis on two authors, Lois Gold and Mark S. Umbreit,
whose work on meditation has been translated into Japanese. Because of limited research
on this subject, the present thesis overcomes the difficulties in defining what spirituality
means in the context of English-speaking mediation. By evaluating the suitability of the
currently applied Japanese translations based on the analyses of the meanings generated in
the English-speaking mediation context, the present thesis develops a fuller, more
comprehensive description of the phenomenon in the Japanese-speaking mediation context.
Based on such analyses, the present thesis also contributes to developing resources which
allow an integrated concept of transliterated spirituality to be established, something that
has not been possible thus far due to the shortage of research (Uchimoto, 2009).50 The
contribution of the present thesis is also important because transliterated spirituality
appears and is used cross-sectionally, despite having a variety of context-bound meanings.
As Horie (2019: 304) points out, there is almost no precedent research which investigated
into transliterated spirituality in Japan. In November 2019 when he published his research
to become such a role model for fellow researchers, this present thesis was already reaching
its end. Regrettably, this research could only reflect his research findings and arguments
onto its nearly completed analyses instead of following his research as its signpost. However,
the analyses and findings of the present thesis allow future research to explore further based
on Horie’s (2019) academic arguments in the context of Japanese-speaking mediation.
In order to further illustrate and understand the contributions, controversies and
consequences of using transliterated spirituality as well as seishin in the Japanese-speaking
mediation context, the next section reviews the social context in which transliterated
spirituality has been used since the late 1970s.
50 This point was mentioned in Chapter 1 and is further elaborated in the next section.
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2.3 Issues arising from the introduction of transliterated spirituality to Japan’s mediation context
This section identifies the difficulties, that have arisen due to the application of
transliterations and thus point to the existing issues in the context of Japanese-speaking
mediation. The first subsection articulates the development of transliterated spirituality, the
second examines peacebuilding and transliterated spirituality followed by the third
subsection which is to briefly summarise the issues with transliterated spirituality
concerning the Japanese-speaking mediation context.
2.3.1 About transliterated spirituality Shimazono (2012), a religious studies scholar, attempts to reduce the confusion over
transliterated spirituality as highlighted in this section thus far by categorising the
applications of transliterated spirituality since the late 1970s into two categories. One is the
privatised healing and enlightenment sector while the other the public, more systematised
sector which is more secular such as the medical, political and caring professions (see also,
Horie, 2019). By following these categorisations, the first to articulate is the development
of transliterated spiritual or spirituality in such a systematised sector which is often
illustrated by academic research followed by the second discussion which examines so-
called ‘popularised’ transliterated spirituality in the general public (Horie, 2019).
2.3.1.1 In the systematised sectors English academic research using the term spirituality is well advanced compared to Japanese
research. According to research by Ribaudo and Takahashi (2009), 1758 English articles were
found that used the term spirituality while only 74 Japanese articles used transliterated
spirituality (Takahashi, 2012). Compared to those who use both Japanese and English
languages in their research into spirituality, the work of scholars who only use Japanese in
their research may be unknown outside of Japan and vice versa, and, as a result, such
scholars may not be aware of academic interpretations and discussions of the English term
in the wider academic community.
This search result seems to suggest that the concept of ‘spirituality’ is still not popular or
considered important among Japanese scholars. However, this is not necessarily the case.
English articles that refer to spirituality include publications by Japanese scholars who only
publish their research in English. One such scholar is Masayuki Ohkado whose research
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interests are rooted in spirituality, near death experiences, previous lives, and life-between-
life memories.51 Alternatively, academic scholars who only use Japanese language may be
using different but equivalent Japanese words in their publications and this may explain why
their work does not come up when the term transliterated spiritual is used in the search.
Takahashi (2011: 221) associates the notion of transliterated spirituality in Japanese with
concepts like “psychic” or “aura”, thereby referring to the transcendental abilities of a
person (Ide and Takahashi, 2002). In Japanese religious studies, it is taken to mean
“something ‘sensual’ toward something religious” (Miyajima, 2006: 135 by citing Ito, 2003:
ii; Kasai, 2002: 85; Kashio, 2004: 273) and has increasingly been used among these scholars
more frequently while the term ‘shukyo’ started losing transparency in its definition in the
country. 52 Those scholars use the transliteration to indicate something distanced from
institutionalised religions yet existing as, “deinstitutionalised religiosity” (Miyajima, 2006:
136 by citing Yumiyama, 2006: 91).
On the one hand, some state that transliterated spirituality is not the same as reisei, which
contains the letter rei (霊) meaning ‘ghost’ or ‘supernatural being’, and by losing this letter,
conveys a notion that is more of this world rather than ‘otherworldly’ (Ando, 2012; Horie,
2009 and 2019; Kasai, 2003). By using transliterated spirituality, scholars can emphasise the
concept as being used in other countries (Horie, 2009). On the other hand, some scholars
argue that transliterated spirituality only replaced reisei because of that letter rei, without
changing its meaning (Ito, Kashio, and Yumiyama, 2004). From their perspective there is no
difference in the meaning of transliterated spirituality, reisei, and English spirituality.
What is evident about transliterated spirituality used in the context of psychology and
sociology of religion in Japan is that it already has established its independent meanings in
the specific context from the other contexts in which the same term spirituality is used (see
for example, Horie, 2019). Translating the English term spiritual by using transliterated
spirituality only confuses its audience if the context has not yet established its meanings.
51 Some of Ohkado’s research titles are A Study of a Case Supporting the ‘Reincarnation Hypothesis’ with Special Reference to Xenoglossy (Ohkado, et al., 2009), Spirituality and the Level of Happiness( Ohkado, 2012), A Case of a Japanese Child with Past-Life Memories (Ohkado, 2013), A Comparative Analysis of Japanese and Western NDEs (Ohkado and Greyson, 2014), and Children with Life-Between-Life Memories (Ohkado and Ikegawa, 2014). Those are published only in English. 52 The Japanese word for shukyo is 宗教, which means ‘religion’.
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This explains and supports why Shimazono (2012) articulates transliterated spirituality by
distinguishing between one used in the public systematised sector and in privatised sector
to illustrate the surrounding environment of the term in Japan.
Even though the discussions are taken place in the limited sectors, there are conflicting views
on what transliterated spirituality is. Horie (2009) claimed, based on his analysis of three
academic fields, transpersonal psychology, spiritual care such as in nursing and sociology of
religion, the meaning of transliterated spirituality has become something different from
being described as religious or supernatural. In the words of Carrette and King (2005) who
wrote on commodified spirituality in the English language, this process can be described as
‘psychologization’. Shimazono (2012: 26 and 99) counterargues that, by widening the
definition of ‘religion’, the category of ‘spiritual but not religious’ still falls well within the
category of religion in a broader sense. From this perspective, the use of transliterated
spirituality implies not detachment from religion, but an attempt to disassociate from the
negative elements with which religions are associated in Japan (Shimazono, 2012: 41).
To be more specific, the negative elements include those images displayed by so called new
religious groups in Japan who in the 1990s came to be associated with certain criminal acts
including homicide and murder (Horie, 2018 and 2019; Shimazono 2012).53 As such new
religious groups or any large organisations come to be seen as problematic, the role of
religion, which provided advices, reliefs and guidance to those struggling in their lives, has
been largely replaced by psychology or psychotherapy. Both has gained in popularity
particularly in the last quarter of the 20th century in Japan because their focus is on an
individual rather than to act as a group (Shimazono, 2012). Around the same time,
transliterated spirituality started to be used in academic publications more frequently
alongside the term healing in the late 1990s to early 2000s (Horie, 2007),54 although the
frequent application of transliterated spirituality in the fields of psychology and
psychotherapy should not be taken as an indication that religion has been entirely replaced
and diminished in the country.
53 A couple of those groups are discussed in more detail in the next section. 54 Transliterated spirituality used as a part of counselling or therapy is discussed in the below section of ‘In the general public’.
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In fact, Shimazono’s (2012) understanding is that transliterated spirituality means more or
less the same as ‘religion’ but that the former emphasises its separation or independence
from institutions, organisations or groups in which certain practices or views are shared with
other individuals. Transliterated spirituality cannot be categorised as a traditional religion
which requires its believer or follower to belong to one group, to be a believer of one godly
figure such as Christ or Buddha, to value exclusively own group’s faith as the only and best,
and to have a strong view of religious dichotomy in which the transcendental existence such
as God only saves the believers and punishes non-believers (Shimazono, 2012: 99; see
similar arguments by Carrette and King, 2005, although not about Japan).
Ama (1996), however, argues that it is impossible for an individual’s faith to remain within
the person alone. In fact, the notion then seems to become a religious principle of a kind
from the moment it is communicated and shared with others (Aston, 1905: 5). Once
communicated, what one means by transliterated spirituality influences people’s
foundation of sense making, fundamental values, the way of thinking or viewing, or how
they perceive things in their lives; this is in a broader sense a religion in Japan (Ito, 2008:
158-159 by citing Shimazono, 2012).55 Yet, it is also true that transliterated spirituality does
not fix its meanings (Ando, 2006; Horie, 2018; Haga, 2007; Kashio, 2012; Uchimoto, 2009),
and that the term used in different academic contexts contains various degrees of religiosity
depending on the context (Uchimoto, 2009). In 2019, Horie (2019) further claims that
transliterated spirituality in the areas of psychology and sociology of religions is used by
people who use the Japanese language to mean something core or essential to religions.
By combining those scholars’ views which may appear as though inconsistent over the
period of time or vary depending on the contexts, academics in Japan felt the need to
distance the notion of transliterated spirituality from religion or the supernatural at a time,
yet the attitudes of the users of the term are indeed rapidly changing over a short period of
time. Alternatively, these academic arguments which may appear inconsistent to some
extent, should blame such ineffable thus context dependent nature of transliterated
spirituality.
55 This is a similar argument as Parsons (1963) or Bellah (1967).
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Nonetheless, a discussion about the suitability of currently applied Japanese translations of
the English term spirituality in the context of Japanese-speaking mediation does need to be
separated from religious studies.56 If the analysis being carried out simply aimed to establish
whether transliterated spirituality used in the context of mediation had a religious element
or not, the division would only be between whether it is a faith-based mediation or not.
However, neither Lois Gold nor Mark S. Umbreit publish their views on faith-based
mediation, where mediation is offered by particular religious doctrines or on an assumption
of a shared faith between mediator and clients attending the mediation sessions.
Thus, one must conclude that the use of the term spirituality by Gold (1993 and 2003) and
Umbreit (1997 and 2001) is not associated with specific religious doctrines or their intention
to form a certain faith to conduct faith-based mediation. As discussed earlier, it is important
to start from what these two authors mean by the English terms spiritual and spirituality to
understand their notion in the context of Japanese-speaking mediation.
2.3.1.2 In the general public Japanese people involved in mediation are not necessarily academics whose research
interests are in religious studies, spirituality or mediation. For example, participants at
Umbreit’s trainings held in Kumamoto in 2017, included many practitioners who have strong
faiths in institutionalised religions but are not religious studies scholars (Ishihara, 2017a). As
seen in Chapter 1, both mediators and their prospective clients have already exposed to
transliterated spirituality outside of the mediation context in Japan. The application of the
terms spiritual or spirituality is not restricted to the above discussed academic field. At the
same time as being used by academics, the same transliterated terms of spiritual and
spirituality are used in other sectors or fields of Japanese society, irrespective of faith or
interest, including its mediation context.
When Ishihara discussed the importance of spirituality in mediation in a public lecture, the
lecture was open to members of the general public in Japan (Kumamoto Jinzai Shinbun,
2012). Any member of the public can also purchase the book translated by Fujioka (2007) to
learn what mediators mean by transliterate spirituality. An open lecture held at Keio
56 In Religious Studies, the transliterated spirituality means privatisation of what religions teach; religion contains the system or organisation as well as the privatised matter (Shimazono, 2012: 97). This view of Shimazono (2012), however, is only significant when the applied context is not mediation. The detailed discussions are in Chapter 3, 4 and 5.
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University in Tokyo in 2012, entitled ‘the Present and Past of Spirituality’ was attended by
members of the general public as well as students and other academics. Licences for
‘spiritual carer’ are also issued by the Japanese Society of Spiritual Care, the majority being
obtained by nurses working in hospitals and hospices in Japan to offer grief support and care.
The notion of spirituality is also being embedded and incorporated in what is normally
categorised as ‘pop-culture’ or ‘sub-culture’ in Japan (Hirano, 2006), where it has become a
media trend since the late 1970s or early 1980s (Gaitanidis, 2012; Horie, 2009; Ito, 208: 4;
Shimazono, 2012: 20-26). Spirituality in this context is categorised as ‘popular spirituality’ in
Japan (Horie, 2019), but not limited to Japan. For example, Jespers (2011) extensively
explored the topic in the USA and UK; Hume and McPhillips (2006), who are both Australia
based, published a book on popular spirituality. Japanese scholars, however, do not appear
to actively investigate this phenomenon until the end of November 2019 when Horie (2019)
published his extensive research on the topic.
While academics have not yet thoroughly investigated the phenomena, people of Japan
have been exposed to such pop-spirituality (Horie, 2019). Since the 1970s, in bookstores a
new section called ‘Seishin Sekai’ has appeared next to ‘Religion’ under which can be found
books and magazines on topics such as healing, self-transformation, reincarnation, near-
death experiences, yoga, meditation, shamanism, animism, progression of consciousness,
mystical experiences, transpersonal psychology, holistic medicine and new science (Ito,
2008; Shimazono, 1996; 2012).57 This shelf section was first created by one of the largest
bookstores in Japan which held a bookfair to introduce books from India and Nepal on
spirituality (Shimazono, 1996: 221). This section, Seishin Sekai, is the equivalent to the
section often called ‘Esoterisch’ in bookshops in Germany, ‘Body, Mind, Spirit’ in the UK, and
‘New Age’ or ‘Self-Help’ in the USA; despite these different labels, the books sold in these
sections are similar if not the same (Ito, 2004). Seishin Sekai was intended to mean ‘Spiritual
World’ as has already been discussed in Chapter 1, but seishin has now been argued to be
inadequate as a translation for the English term spirituality (Tazaki, Matsuda, and Nakane,
2001 and 2002).
57 The Japanese translation for Seishin Sekai is 精神世界.
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Between the appearance of Seishin Sekai book corners in the bookshops and the
aforementioned transliterated spirituality trends since the late 1990s or early 2000s,58 there
has been the emergence of so-called cult groups as briefly touched above. For example, Aum
Shinrikyo, a religious group once categorised as a new religion in Japan which was later
categorised as a cult group (Lewis, 2013: 242; 2015: 36), committed, among other crimes,
the 1995 sarin gas attack in the Kasumigaseki underground station, Tokyo, on 20th March
1995. Its guru, Asahara Shōkō, together with twelve ‘believers’ were convicted and given
death sentences. The death penalties of seven of them, including Asahara, were executed
on 6th July 2018. This incident turned public opinion against religion in general and has
resulted in organised or institutionalised religions being “increasingly viewed with a critical
eye” (Nelson, 2008: 305; see also, Fujita, 2002; Sakurai, 2012). In later reports, Aum
Shinrikyo used mind control techniques such as brainwashing over its followers to commit
other crimes (Japan Times, 2018).
Aum Shinrikyo initially targeted acupuncture practices and yoga studios to recruit members,
offering individual participants ‘spiritual’ development. In the beginning, Asahara claimed
he used Shaktipat.59 Eventually, it was officially registered as a religious group yet continued
to offer ascetic practices to achieve consciousness transformation and attain a higher satori
stage (Horie, 2007). Around the same time, ‘spiritual’ development was also stressed by
psychotherapists as part of guiding their clients through a healing process (Horie, 2007). In
the eyes of the general public, the applications of the same transliterated spirituality in
different fields confused its audiences to judge what was and was not religious or religion
when they only had the binary classification based on their vague awareness of what religion
is (Lewis, 2018).
Two years after the Aum Shinrikyo incident, in 1999, Takahashi Koji, the leader of another
called Life Space, which offered psychological exercises using large group awareness
trainings, was arrested and charged with the homicide of one of his followers.60
58 This trend is further discussed below. 59 “The Shaktipat initiation was one of Aum’s rituals that were aimed at helping the followers achieve the higher spiritual state. Through this rite, spiritual energy was directly transferred from Asahara in order to awake the kundalini of the receiver.” (Maekawa, 2004: 156). 60 The details of this incident are out of scope of this research but available at https://www.cesnur.org/testi/lifespace_updates.htm.
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The incident began when one of the followers became unconscious due to a cerebral
haemorrhage. Takahashi kept insisting that the follower could be ‘cured’ by using Shaktipat,
and the other followers, including the son of the victim, obeyed Takahashi’s order to keep
the victim in bed at a hotel. Following the stroke, the victim passed away, but Takahashi still
insisted that the victim now deceased was still alive and left the body in the bed. The corpse
was left until it became mummified. The police were called when Takahashi published the
photo-book which showed the process of the body being mummified and sent the book to
a lawyer who reported it to the police.61 Following the discovery of the now mummified
corpse and before being arrested, Takahashi and other followers held a news conference
that was broadcast on TV programmes as well as reported nationally by newspapers.
Takahashi, now deceased, spent 7 years in prison.
According to Koike (2004), the Life Space cult still exists and that the members still believe
that Takahashi’s Shaktipat was effective and that the victim was still alive then but was
subsequently killed by the police. As of 2002, Takahashi’s wife has been hosting yoga lessons
as part of the group’s activities, while publishing books claiming that Takahashi was
wrongfully convicted (Koike, 2004). Although groups such as Aum Shinrikyo or Life Space are
now categorised as cults, they are also different in that Aum Shinrikyo was registered as a
religious organisation while Life Space is a private company. However, they are both close
knit systematic organisations that are against secularisation and obey one guru (Koike, 2004).
In fact, both Asahara and Takahashi referred to themselves as Shaktipat gurus although their
practice does not align with what Shaktipat should be and there is no evidence that either
of them studied and trained in the practice of Shaktipat.62
Following these incidents in the late 1990s, references to transliterated spiritual or
spirituality increased rapidly, together with the need for healing (Horie, 2007 and 2019). As
a result, transliterated spiritual has since “become a buzzword in the popular culture of
Japan. A look at television programmes or on the shelves of any bookstores reveals that now
in Japan anything can be ‘spiritual’: ‘spiritual spot’63, ‘spiritual money’, ‘spiritual education’,
61 They were defending the lawsuit which the leader sued for defamation. The defendants included mass media, lawyers, academic scholars, and other individuals who published their views on Life Space by categorising this group as one of cults. 62 There were many other smaller, less serious incidents and social problems caused by other new religious or ‘spiritual’ groups during this period in Japan. 63 This means places where visitors “will feel regenerated and empowered by their natural and supernatural beauty” (Gaitanidis, 2010a: 244). Ueda (2014: 68) described the power spots as “sacred religious places to practice nature worship”.
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‘spiritual motherhood’, ‘spiritual cuisine’ and so on. […] During [the] fieldwork […there were]
more than 150 names of such spiritual therapies: past-life therapy, rose healing, DNA
activation, kotodama counselling,64 to cite a few” (Gaitanidis, 2011: 186).
In addition to what Gaitanidis (2011) reported, other scholars have cited the influence of
Masayuki Ehara, who describes his occupation as ‘spiritual counsellor’ using transliteration
and hosting programmes on TV as well as radio (Hirano, 2006; Horie, 2919; Gaitanidis, 2012).
According to Gaitanidis (2011), ‘spiritual counsellors’ in Japan provide ‘spiritual business.’ In
fact, Theta Training, one of the biggest spiritual therapist training companies in Japan,
focuses on the mind, body and spirit approach in its healing methods (Theta Healing, 2018),
and by 2012, had certified up to 1000 ‘spiritual therapists’ in the country(Miyazaki, 2012).
Gaitanidis (2011: 188) states that these ‘spiritual businesses’ for his research purposes are
“the activities of those who are part of the spirituality boom in the post-Aum [period…]
characterized by ‘a higher level of distrust toward religious organizations combined with
widespread beliefs about the workings of kami,65 spirits, deities and ancestors’.” He (2011:
196 and 202 respectively) argues that “a ‘spiritual counselling’ session […] may be
understood as a first sub-category that includes all techniques reminiscent of the Western
channelling sessions” and “as a vernacular attempt to move away from [religions], the
supirichuaru has become much closer to the idea of therapy and its expected outcome,
healing (iyashi).”66
In this sense, spirituality, which has become popularised through being a part of Japanese
pop-culture, indeed may have become a “symptom and cause of people unplugging from
the world of local, regional and national shared sense of togetherness” because it allows you
to “build a paradise in your home, your support networks, your practice, and let the rest of
the world find its own way” (Webster, 2012: 48). This view concurs with Hirano (2006) and
Shimazono (2010), who argue that transliterated spirituality is used as a label to cover what
the New Age Movement intended to achieve: to create a utopian world for the peaceful era,
yet only in the privatised space.
Kashio (2012) explains that it also includes places where nature has been left untouched and those places used to be called ‘spiritual places’. 64 The Japanese translation is 言霊. 65 The Japanese translation is 神. 66 The Japanese translation of iyashi is 癒し.
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In modern Japan, transliterated spirituality thus often implies privatised healing when it is
used in its pop-culture (Sakurai, 2012; Ueda, 2014). The service and product industries that
use transliterated spirituality and spiritual as their label have extensively expanded their
boundaries as if the terms can invade any commercial industry (Sakurai, 2012). The
consumers’ needs behind such provision are not only the desire for healing, happiness or
miraculous results but also proactive realisations within themselves by using those products
and services or visiting such places (Ueda, 2014). Transliterated spiritual and spirituality have
been widely recognised and commodified in Japan over the last decades (Shimazono,
2007c).67
Arimoto (2011) analysed and estimated the size of the ‘spiritual’ market in Japan as 1 trillion
yen as of 2011. This calculation is admittedly a rough estimation due to the blurred market
categorisations that are a consequence of the ambiguous meanings of transliterated
spirituality. In calculating its market value, Arimoto (2011) included any businesses engaged
in selling spiritual goods and services such as therapies, charms, tours to spiritual locations,
lectures, fortune telling, power stones, music in CD or DVD, and so on. Such an ‘epidemic’
increase in ‘spiritual businesses’ has been linked by Gaitanidis, (2012: 367) to the New Age
Movement in Japan. Hirano (2006: 75) questions whether such businesses, which she labels
“popularised spirituality”, may be privatising the new age.
However, there are various views on such a connection. For instance, Shimazono (2012) sees
this rapid growth of public interest in or need for products and services relating to
transliterated spiritual or spirituality as only functioning as an entrance to what he calls ‘New
Spirituality’, which Shimazono (2010) defines as something detached and independent from
institutionalised religion.
Furthermore, the connections are also equivocal to other caring professions where the same
transliterated spirituality is used to describe a part of their work, such as the aforementioned
nurses who are also seen as spiritual carers undertaking grief support and care. The trend
described as a ‘spiritual boom’ (Gaitanidis, 2011; Sakurai, 2012; Ueda, 2014) has also been
confused either intentionally or unintentionally with what researchers of spirituality
67 Haga (2007) and Horie (2018) wonder the appearance of Shimazono’s (2012) ‘New Spirituality’ might have been temporal. However, those spiritual businesses reported by Gaitanidis still exist and are available in Japan as of 2019.
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conceptualise as ‘spiritual culture’ or ‘reisei culture’ in Japan (Kashio, 2012; Sakurai, 2012).
Horie (2019: 302) clarifies that transliterated spirituality used mainly in media needs to be
distinguished from the same term discussed in academia or other public or systematised
“areas such as politics, psychology, education, environment or politics”. Nonetheless, the
same term is used in those different areas.
Kashio (2012: 2) posits that, the reason why people in Japan desire spirituality is because of
the unstable era in which they live; people look to the spiritual as a way of gaining some
control over this perceived lack of stability. In this context, Kashio (2012) used the
transliterated spirituality to mean something invisible and beyond one’s being. It is
noticeable that his meaning of transliterated spirituality also appears to be incongruent to
the reason why academics replaced the term reisei with transliterated spirituality. The
breadth and scope of these desires is such that one wonders whether there is any
commonality in the meaning of spiritual or spirituality as used in and across these various
contexts (Kashio, 2012).
The discussion so far in this section has focused on the privatised healing and enlightenment
sector, which is largely commercialised and commodified. When the same transliterated
spirituality is used to introduce the notion of spirituality in the mediation context, members
of general public, including mediators themselves, may well take this as a sign that mediation
as a practice is being subjected to commercialisation and commodification. For this reason,
it is important to establish what Lois Gold and Mark S. Umbreit intended when using those
terms in their publications. Without investigating the meanings of the English word of
‘spirituality’ or ‘spiritual’ used in the context of mediation, transliterated spirituality as used
in the Japanese-speaking mediation context only becomes a small part of this complex web
of a multi-dimensional concept.
While the commercialisation and commodification of spirituality are not confined to Japan
(see for example, Carrette and King, 2005), what is unique in Japan is that its degree of
emerging transliterated spirituality in the private sphere as well as the fact that it has been
widely used to license a group of people in a range of public or systematised spheres such
as education, health care, social services, therapy and counselling, ecology (Ito, 2003: 166-
169; Kashio, 2012), peacebuilding (Kaneda, 2007; Matsumoto, 2016) and politics (Horie,
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2019; Shimazono, 2007c). Moreover, it has come to be intertwined in the nationalism of
Japan (Furusawa, 2009; Horie, 2019; Shimazono, 2007b; Takahashi, 2001).
This is because, despite its context-bound definitions, transliterated spirituality in these
public domains is considered to be deeply connected to the concept of peace through the
notion of ‘universal spirituality’ overcoming differences in conflicts (Kashio and Motoyama,
2015; Kobayashi, 2007 and 2015; Shimazono, 2012; Yamawaki, 2004). In Japan’s public
philosophy, scholars point out that there is a desire to generate a degree of universalism in
its meaning (for instance, Kobayashi, 2007) and to transfer this universality to the field of
peacebuilding.
Japan’s public philosophy is defined by Yamawaki (2004) as an academic discipline that
considers social phenomena such as politics and economics from a public policy point of
view. The role of spirituality in the field is to bridge the differences across the field, for
instance politics, to create, preserve or maintain peace (Kobayashi, 2007). Nonetheless,
Kobayashi (2007) extends its coverage to religious conflicts and identifies the importance of
global spirituality in order to solve such conflicts from a public philosophical point of view.
However, mediation practice, which, unlike peacebuilding, is not primarily concerned with
reconciliation, thus does not employ such a philosophical point of view.68
Because the present thesis focuses on the Japanese-speaking mediation context alone,
which does not relate to public philosophy, the next subsection only analyses the role of
transliterated spirituality in the context of peacebuilding in Japan.
2.3.2 Peacebuilding: one of precedential fields of using the transliterated spirituality
Although there is a degree of overlap between peacebuilding and mediation, they are
entirely different professions in practice (Lederarch, 1997; LeResche, 1993; Zelizer and
Chiochetti, 2017). Peacebuilders act as mediators to address issues with the strong intention
to reconcile the disputing parties and to restore, reconstruct or restructure a non-conflictual
relationship (Diamond, 2000: 130), often by signing a peace agreement (Eriksson and Kostic,
2013: 5). Their main aim is thus to create a new relationship, which they define as ‘peaceful’,
68 The nature of mediation practice in Japan is discussed in Chapter 5 below.
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by using conflict resolution tools, including mediation but also negotiation, conciliation and
arbitration (Eriksson and Kostic, 2013 emphasis added).
In a clearer example, a violent relationship can be mediated so that the victim of the violence
will not be attacked again by distancing themselves from the offender, while the offender
and victim can restore their non-violent relationship as a result of the peacebuilding activity.
The intention is not only to stop the dispute but also to build a further reconciled relationship
and this is the vital difference between peacebuilding and mediation. The former is now
often referred to when discussing conflict resolution between countries, governments, or
other larger social organisations as well as between individuals (Zelizer, 2013). The latter
only settles disputes and does not reconcile the disputing parties. However, this does not
mean that mediators do not work in international disputes or when larger organisations are
in dispute with the government (for instance, see Ury, 2019).
As a result of introducing the translated spirituality of Lois Gold and Mark S. Umbreit to the
Japanese-speaking mediation context, the two distinct fields of peacebuilding and mediation
seemed to overlap, particularly in that they both used the same term, transliterated
spirituality. By using the same terminology as is used in peacebuilding, the Japanese-
speaking mediation context risked losing the distinction between the two professions. As a
result, it may be assumed that the role of mediators is to bring together the two disputants
to reconcile, in other words to peacebuild, rather than simply to settle disputes.69
Because the notion of transliterated spirituality has been used longer in peacebuilding in
Japan than in mediation and also, due to the commonalities between the process of
peacebuilding and mediation, analysing the role of transliterated spirituality in this context
can shed light on understanding the meaning of spirituality in Japan’s mediation context.
In 2007,70 the Peace Studies Association of Japan published a journal bringing together a
number of articles by scholars in religious studies as well as philosophers arguing for the
importance of spirituality, nonetheless transliterated. A decade later, Matsumoto (2016)
pointed out the difficulties of understanding the meaning of transliterated spirituality in the
69 For more detail, see Chapter 5 70 Coincidentally, this was the year when Fujioka (2007) first introduced the notion of using ‘spirituality’ in the context of mediation.
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context of peacebuilding. He argues that the definition of spirituality put forward by Galtung
(for instance, Galtung and MacQueen, 2008) and Smoker and Groff (1996) is vague and
suggests instead going to the work of Diamond (2000), who is both a peacebuilder and
mediator, for a clearer sense of its meaning. Diamond herself refers to her work as both
peacebuilding (see for instance, a telephone interview with Goldberg in Goldberg and
Blancke, 2012) and mediation (Diamond, 2000: 207) and her conception of peace influences
peacebuilders in Japan as well as internationally (for instance, Kaneda, 2004). Diamond
(2000) does not merge the two but rather, emphasises the importance of undertaking
peacebuilding work rather than simply mediating.
Diamond’s peacebuilding work is built on the underlying principle of spirituality as
introduced to Japan in 2002 through transliterated spirituality. Diamond (2000: 243 and 76)
conceives of conflict as spiritual growth and posits four spiritual principles in peacebuilding
work, which are unity, interrelatedness, love and co-creativity. Using those principles, she
describes the moment of reconciliation as a shift, whereby “the heart opens, and whatever
we have been holding moves ever so slightly aside to make room for a new understanding”
(Diamond, 2000: 180).
In order to cause such a shift, there is a need for inner peace, which is fundamentally a
spiritual connection (Diamond, 2000: 45). This inner peace, according to Diamond, is
achieved by following three ‘paths’: to make peace with ourselves, to make peace within
ourselves which forms the foundation of building a relationship with other people, and to
find our own experience of Peace, with a capital P (Diamond, 2000: 39). In her view, this is
about “letting go and letting love”, rather than God (Diamond, 2000: 181), although she
believes that we are “[a]rising from the same Source” and “[c]arrying the same sacred
essence” (Diamond, 2000: 67). By the capital P, she means our private relationship with God
or Spirit, which is the Source of the energy of peace that we can plug into directly (Diamond,
2000: 44-45). Diamond’s conception of spirituality involves surrender and love, rather than
God.
Diamond describes how the connection is established between other people and
peacebuilders, including herself, who possess inner peace founded on the metaphysical
triad of order, harmony and unity (Diamond, 2000: 26-27). She goes on to explain that in the
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realisation of “the Spirit of Peace reminds us that the three work together” (Diamond, 2000:
26), our awareness of the essential, universal wholeness creates our inner peace and
requires others because we need to make the inner peace a concrete form and action as
outer peace. This unity of tangible, material peace with others as a result of one’s inner
peace is described as “the highest order of peace” (Diamond, 2000: 26).
Using Diamond’s definition as a starting point, Matsumoto (2016: 37) further divides
spirituality into four categories: every day and extraordinary spiritual experiences on two
ends of a horizontal axis and harmony and conflicts on a vertical one. Harmony at the top of
the vertical axis is accompanied by ‘positive spirituality’ and conflict at the bottom is coupled
with ‘negative spirituality’. In a similar vein, Kobayashi (2007) also distinguishes between
positive and negative spirituality and categorises cult groups like Aum Shinrikyo as a
manifestation of negative spirituality. Peacebuilding in Japan uses the vertical axis of positive
and negative spirituality in line with Galtung (1969), and this overlaps the reference of
positive and negative peace made by Diamond (2000: 25).
Furthermore, her reference of peace also overlaps with Matsumoto’s vertical axis, which
places positive spirituality at the top and negative spirituality at the bottom.71 In other words,
the introduced concept of spirituality by Diamond (2000: 20), who also states that “the
critical issue was about [her] relationship with God, to Spirit, to [her] own divine and sacred
Self” by reflecting on her own transformation as a peacebuilder, has integrated into
Japanese scholars’ spirituality in peacebuilding.
When transliterated spirituality was introduced to peacebuilding in Japan, the origin of the
concept, which was introduced from overseas, has been used to reflect on social issues and
its meaning was adapted to the perceived needs of society at that time. So, although there
are several possible definitions of transliterated spirituality, scholars have selected the
meaning that appears to be clearest and better suited to the context. Matsumoto’s vertical
and horizontal axes are one example. This understanding also underpins the work of a
religious studies scholar, Kasai (2003), when summarising how those who work in client care
professions reflect their views by using transliterated spirituality. In his view, the horizontal
71 In Mathematics, normally both left half of the horizontal axis beyond 0 and upper half of the vertical axis beyond 0 are marked as negative. There is no reasonable explanation as to why the positive spirituality comes at the top and the negative one at the bottom of the vertical axis.
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axis in the professions reflects their religious or faith values and the vertical one indicates
‘heaven’ in the higher position and one’s inner self in the lower position. However, this
overlap between Kasai’s axes and Diamond’s may be something to do with her underlying
view of relationship with God as stated above.
Unsurprisingly, the notion of vertical and horizontal axes shared among scholars is also used
by Huston Smith, an authoritative figure in the field of religious studies (see Smith,
1991/1958, 1989, 2009, and 2010) in a discussion about the common principles or practices
across the world’s religions. In an interview in 2010, he stated that, “they all affirm the
existence of God by whatsoever name, that is the vertical direction…horizontal is
commanding us to love one another. The formula for that is to do unto others what you
want that they would do unto you” (Smith, 2010: from 0:30 to 1:10). Smith describes
common existence as being vertical, drawing a line in an upwards direction and holding his
hand at the high end of the vertical line when discussing “god by whatsoever name”. When
asked about the commonality of understanding regarding where ‘god’ is across
institutionalised religions, Smith (2010: 0:42-1:30) positions his hand somewhere higher
than his head to show the way to “god by whatsoever name”.
Kasai (2003) considers these axes as a fundamental structure of transliterated spirituality.
When compared against Kasai’s view which is that people come with the assumption that
spirituality is a religious phenomenon, Diamond’s spirituality in peacebuilding suddenly
becomes a reflection of her own religion or religious values, despite stating that each
individual finds their own experience of Peace (Diamond, 2000: 39) and her clear avoidance
of religion in her statement ‘letting love, rather than God’ (Diamond, 2000: 181). While
Kasai’s (2003) understanding of those two axes may be valid in the discipline of religious
studies, placing religions along one of those axes may lead to misunderstanding
transliterated spirituality as contextualised in and by peacebuilding (see also Hirano, 2015,
for a similar argument on spirituality and Alternative Medicine).72 In a similar vein, Ishihara,
one of the organisers for Mark S. Umbreit’s lectures in Japan, seemed to wish to distance
the notion of transliterated spirituality in the context of mediation from any religious
connotations (Ishihara, 2017a).
72 As Hirano (2006) warns, the researcher’s reflexivity works in both positive and negative ways at the same time and it is important to fix the research’s disciplinary location. This point has been discussed in 2.2 above.
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However, the further issue exists with Ishihara’s reference to spirituality in a parallel of the
word love in the context of Japanese-speaking mediation (cited in Kumamoto Jinzai Shinbun,
2012). Her use of transliterated spirituality appears to be very similar, if not an identical, to
transliterated spirituality described by Diamond which has been widely used in
peacebuilding in Japan as discussed above. Considering the term spirituality is context bound,
it is important to pay particular attention to the influences from such a cross-sectional
application of the same terminology. In other words, there is a possibility of transliterated
spirituality causing confusions within and outside of the mediation profession and distorting
the professional boundaries between mediation and others which use the same
transliterated spirituality.
Finally, since transliterated spirituality appeared and gradually started being used in Japan
in the late 1970s, Shimazono (2007b and 2012) proposed the two categories consist of what
he called New Spiritual Movements and Culture. The first category includes sectors where
transliterated spirituality is used to achieve more privatised healing and enlightenment in
commercialised forms or commodities; the second is in more secular sectors where caring
professionals actively use it to achieve pacifism in people’s internal self (Shimazono, 2012;
see also, Shimazono, 2007a). As above, spirituality used in peacebuilding in Japan falls in the
second category as it proposes to use spirituality to achieve peace and reconciliation. It
remains unknown at this point as to whether spirituality used by Lois Gold and Mark S.
Umbreit does the same or falls at all in either of those two categories proposed by
Shimazono.
As this discussion about the meaning of transliterated spirituality in Japan suggests, there is
no cross-sectionally agreed definition of the term; rather, its meaning varies depending on
the fields of study, disciplinary precepts, practices and even individual scholars with their
own values and world views. In other words, the term is intrinsically context-bound.73 The
users of and audience for the term thus may not share a common meaning of the term when
used in communication.74 Those who look to sources in other languages such as English
decided to transliterate ‘spirituality’ in their context to stress that the notion is ‘foreign’
73 Although Public Philosophy seems eager to generate ‘universal’ spirituality as Kobayashi (2007) argued, such an idea would not be supported by the researchers of Spirituality (for example, Ando, 2006; Horie, 2015 and 2018; Shimazono, 2012). 74 This matches to and supports the observation and recommendation put forward by the researchers of Spirituality in the section 2.2 above.
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(Horie, 2009). However, in English too, the notion of spirituality can mean different things
depending on the context (la Cour, Ausker, and Hvidt, 2012).
Before concluding this chapter, the next subsection sums up the issues with transliterated
spirituality based on the arguments thus far in this section.
2.3.3 The issues with ‘translated’ spirituality The issues with introducing the notion of spirituality, which is originally developed in English,
to the Japanese-speaking mediation context can be summarised as follows. Firstly, the
meaning of the English terms spiritual and spirituality, as used by Lois Gold (1993 and 2003)
and Mark S. Umbreit (1997 and 2001) in the mediation context, are unclear. As a result, the
currently applied Japanese translation used in this context may not accurately convey the
original meanings.
This leads to the following issue, which is whether the current translation is therefore
appropriate for the Japanese-speaking mediation context. The third issue arises from the
relationship between religion and the notion of using spirituality in the Japanese-speaking
mediation context, due to transliterated spirituality, the currently applied translation of the
English terms spiritual or spirituality, having no fixed meaning but being dependent on
context.
According to Horie (2018), the rapid trend of using the transliterated spirituality which
started sometime around the millennium year rapidly began ceasing. As discussed in
Chapter 1 as well as this chapter, the appearance of the transliterated spirituality was a part
of the ‘spiritual boom’ in Japan (Gaitanidis, 2012; Sakurai, 2012), and the transliterated
spirituality were commercialised and commodified in some areas (Arimoto, 2011;
Shimazono, 2007b and 2012). In recent years, transliterated spirituality has acquired the
impression of being a business tool; as a result of this, a wide range of the Japanese
population expressed, through questionnaires, their negative feelings toward the
transliterated spirituality which now appears to be products and business tools to gain
profits (Horie, 2013). This decline in using the transliterated spirituality has also been
encouraged by the criminal activities of cult groups such as Aum Shinrikyo. The usage of the
transliterated spirituality in the Japanese mediation context risks wrongly displaying such
attitudes to the public.
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As if corresponding to such societal attitudes toward the transliterated spirituality, Horie
(2018) reported that, in the 2010s, more books with titles using the term reisei were
published in Japan by various scholars for the general public. According to his research, the
contents and areas of those publications are not the same, yet those authors use the term
reisei in the places where the transliterated spirituality would have been used. Horie (2018)
interpreted this tendency by analysing in light of his other research conducted in August
2018, that those authors tried to convey their sincerity toward the importance of spirituality
because the transliterated spirituality tends to be perceived as something false, fraudulent
and incredulous. Horie (2018: 132) called this a revitalisation to kanji letters. Should the
Japanese-speaking mediation not follow this revitalisation to translate the English term
spirituality?
In the next chapter, textual analysis of publications by Lois Gold and Mark S. Umbreit is
carried out to tease out the meaning of spirituality as they use it in the context of mediation.
2.4 Conclusion Based on the review of this chapter, it is argued that the meanings of the English terms
spiritual or spirituality as used in mediation publications may not be accurately conveyed to
Japanese-speaking audiences due to the existing issues with currently applied translations.
Empirical studies seem to face difficulties and potential research errors in data collections
and individual studies freely use their own definitions of the terms. As a result, there has
been no attempt to find a universal definition in the field of mediation. The three empirical
studies conducted in the field of spirituality and mediation discussed in this chapter,
illustrate this. Horie’s (2019) latest research raises the concern as to whether such a
universal meaning is indeed necessary. So long as transliterated spirituality means the same
as the English term spirituality in the context at stake, no issue seems to arise.
At this point of the professional progress of the Japanese-speaking mediation, in which
mediation practitioners and scholars have not yet frequently referred transliterated
spirituality, the resulting ambiguity as to its meaning in English language has led to confusion
when applied in the Japanese mediation context albeit in the form of translation. Mediation
involves both practitioners and clients who are not necessarily academics specialised in
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spirituality and so are exposed to so many different interpretations of what ‘spirituality’
might mean for the practice and process of mediation. The various translations used even in
the same book about mediation exacerbates further the confusion. As a result,
transliterating spirituality may change, distort or fail to convey the whole dynamism of using
spirituality in its mediation context.
As has been discussed, in the field of peacebuilding in Japan, which can be seen as
overlapping with mediation, the notion of spirituality was introduced by using transliteration
from English sources yet the understandings and applications of the notion have been
‘localised’ by applying the concept to Japanese society in terms of the issues that exist in
that society, and by using horizontal and vertical axes to define it. In addition, the use of the
two axes can be seen in religious studies and this overlap links peacebuilding to religion and
vice versa. The same might have occurred in the mediation context. In Japan, this religious
association is particularly unhelpful as faith-based mediation does exist separately from
other mediation. Thus, the notion of spirituality has been merged with religious
connotations, limiting it to faith-based mediation and depriving non faith-based mediation
of the particular insights and applications that the notion of spirituality discussed by Lois
Gold and Mark S. Umbreit may offer.
Lastly, clearer use of the terminology in the two overlapping yet distinct contexts of
peacebuilders and mediators in Japan would benefit both professions in terms of what they
do and what they offer. What is proposed in the next chapter is to clarify these terms
through a careful investigation into what Gold (1993 and 2003) and Umbreit (1997 and 2001)
mean when they use ‘spiritual’ or ‘spirituality’ in the context of mediation. The analysis is
limited to these two authors and that confusion over what transliterated spirituality means
may still persist. However, close textual analysis will at least generate meanings that are
more evidence based and therefore will contribute to the ongoing endeavour of seeking a
clear definition to be used in the Japanese-speaking mediation context.
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3 Textual analysis of the meanings of ‘spirituality’ used by Lois Gold and Mark S. Umbreit
3.1 Introduction In the English-speaking mediation context, the terms spiritual and spirituality are somewhat
ill-defined (see for instance, Jones, 2009). The present thesis argues, because of the lack of
meaning, Fujioka (2007) translated the same term by using two different Japanese terms
which are seishin and transliterated spirituality. Although Goldberg and Blancke (2011: 386
and 2012) have suggested that there are needs to establish whether there is a market
demand for mediation described using the terms spiritual or spirituality and to research on
whether mediators are willing to have a frank and open conversation with their prospective
clients in this regard. However, without first establishing the meaning of those terms, such
a study cannot be conducted.
In order to examine whether the notion of spirituality used by Lois Gold and Mark S. Umbreit
is accurately conveyed by the currently applied translations in the Japanese language, this
chapter conducts textual analysis so that to establish how the English terms spiritual or
spirituality have been used by Gold (1993 and 2003) and Umbreit (1997 and 2001) in the
mediation context and what those authors are trying to convey by those terms. One of the
central questions in this chapter is whether their use of the terms spiritual or spirituality
creates a new category of professional mediators who would not fall in any existing models
or whether they are simply expressing their own beliefs or views which, as a result, resonate
with their mediation practice as a faith-based mediation once shared with their clients.
Either way, the primary focus of this chapter remains to generate the meanings of those
terms used by Lois Gold and Mark S. Umbreit.
3.2 In conducting textual analysis Before moving onto the analyses, this section signposts how the analyses are conducted. At
foremost, it is important to refer Ishikawa (2010) who discussed extensively about
transliterated spirituality as a translation for the English term spirituality used in
psychotherapy in Japan. According to his analyses, the term transliterated spirituality, albeit
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limiting to the Japanese-speaking psychotherapy context, appears to be ineffable and as a
result loses its meaning once it became subject to linguistic analyses (Ishikawa, 2010: 237).
Likewise, in the context of mediation, transliterated spirituality may not bear one universal
definition due to such a nature. However, the reason transliterated spirituality does not lose
its place in the psychotherapy context at the time of writing in 2010 is in the passion of the
users who experienced the phenomenon (Ishikawa, 2010: 239 emphasis added). Accordingly,
in order to understand the meaning of transliterated spirituality used by Lois Gold and Mark
S. Umbreit, seeing through the experience itself as closely as possible to the experiencer is
important. The textual analysis in this chapter takes this academic opinion in presenting its
findings.
In pursuing how individuals understand spirituality, the term comprises the possibility of
another, contextual reality, contextual and personal experiences of a unique kind of
connectedness. It has been suggested that, “a coherent use of the term spirituality in future
research might therefore comprise spirituality understood as a context-bound experience of
relatedness to a vertical transcendent reality” (la Cour, Ausker, and Hvidt, 2012: 80 emphasis
in the original). In other words, “the term spirituality is not used without an indication,
notions or keywords of what is meant by the term in a specific context” (la Cour, Ausker, and
Hvidt, 2012: 63; see also King, 1996: 345). However, the exact meanings of those terms
remain vague despite its frequent uses in mediation publications in the English language and
this is perhaps why when translating into Japanese, scholars have used different
terminologies (for example, Fujioka, 2007).
There are three main difficulties with defining spirituality. First, it only has a limited meaning
as the definition depends on the context in which the term is analysed. Secondly, its usage
in different contexts nonetheless shares some commonalities. Finally, there is no
generalised definition because it is subjective, although as Egan et al. (2011:309) point out,
this subjectivity can be researched. For the purposes of this thesis, such definitional
difficulties are not a significant hindrance as long as the analyses can identify some of the
shared conceptual understandings of the term (Egan et al., 2011: 309 by citing Harris, et al.,
2008: 39).
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The notion of using spirituality is already in Japanese-speaking mediation context and can
be defined by analysing the original texts that introduced it to this context. Umbreit himself
came to Japan in 2001 and 2017 to train mediators, and Japanese mediators went to
overseas to receive his trainings (Ishihara, 2017a). His book has been used both in various
dispute resolution scenes including school mediation, community mediation or mediation
with administrative bodies and as a part of preventive measure such as abuse and bullying
(Yasukawa and Ishihara, 2014). His publications have had a significant impact on some of the
Japanese-speaking mediation practice. Although the analysis primarily focuses on
publications by Lois Gold and Mark S. Umbreit, their use of the terms spiritual or spirituality
should display some commonality to their use in other publications. However, while the
purpose of this chapter is to discover ‘shared conceptual understandings’ in Gold and
Umbreit, at the same time, its intention is not to generate a universal definition of those
English terms used in the mediation context.
When analysing the publications by Lois Gold and Mark S. Umbreit, these authors’
nationalities, first language, cultural, religious and educational backgrounds and family
circumstances remain unknown. However, such personal information should not colour
what they express in their publications. To put it simply, and at the risk of oversimplification,
the biographical details of these authors should not be significant factors in terms of
understanding and analysing what they are trying to convey in their publication as
professional.
The textual analysis presented in this chapter follows the view of Principe (1983: 129) who
argues that there is a certain fluidity in the use of the term spiritual or spirituality and
presents three levels of investigating spirituality. Before this thesis addressing its analyses
at his third level which is the study by scholars of the first two levels of spirituality (Principe,
1983: 135-136),75 “what should be included in such study” must be addressed (Principe,
1983: 137). The answer to that question is, “depending on how each scholar understands
‘spirituality’” because such a study is based on an ideology in which the spirituality at stake
is linked to certain belief-systems or theologies (Principe, 1983: 137). As the context for the
analysis in this chapter is mediation, it is the mediators’ views that are of relevance. While
it is acknowledged that the meaning of spirituality as conveyed in the text will to some extent
75 Principe’s three levels were already discussed in Chapter 1.
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be very personal, at the same time the authors’ views are not being sought directly such as
through interviews.
Principe (1983: 138) defended this kind of research approach by arguing that the spirituality
of an individual or group, including its dynamics and the origins of that spirituality, can be
studied without an understanding of the total context. While theologians may analyse the
concept in terms of theological principles, religious studies scholars would seek to present a
hypothetical description of studied spiritualities within the respective disciplines by “using
principles of interpretation and judgment derived from human reason alone” (Principe,
1983: 139-140).76 In this investigation into how Lois Gold and Mark S. Umbreit use the terms
spiritual and spirituality and what they mean by those terms, an analysis of their writing is
considered to be sufficient unto itself, without direct communication with them. The
analysis is able to understand the intended meaning without intervening the original
intentions of the target authors at the time of their writing.
By analysing the publications of these two authors, this chapter generates the core precepts
of those terms which then allow the suitability of the currently applied translations to be
evaluated in the following chapter. The purpose of this textual analysis does not include
testing those two authors’ claims empirically. In fact, Umbreit (2001) himself declared the
underlying principles of his practice model, humanistic mediation, are not subject to any
empirical testing as they originate from the values and beliefs of the mediator who uses the
model.
3.3 Textual analysis of writings by Lois Gold and Mark S. Umbreit
3.3.1 The eight core precepts found in Lois Gold and Mark S. Umbreit This analysis focuses on four publications on mediation and spirituality, two written by Lois
Gold (1993 and 2003) and two written by Mark S. Umbreit (1997 and 2001). The target
readers of these texts can be fellow mediators, academics, researchers and anyone with an
interest in the profession. The purpose of these publications was to express and circulate
76 This is the approach de Souza (2016) adopts in seeking to generate common themes of spirituality across different academic disciplines.
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their personal, professional and academic perspectives regarding their experiences as
professional mediators. When formulating his humanistic mediation model, Umbreit (1997)
acknowledges drawing heavily on Gold (1993) so not surprisingly there is a high degree of
commonality both in terms of themes and arguments. The core precepts are as follows.
First, spirituality in their context of mediation is not limited to any particular culture and thus
is not restricted to indigenous or non-indigenous mediation.
Secondly, spirituality can include religion, be part of religion, be independent from religion
or be interchangeable with religion. Mediators who use those terms to describe their views
on mediation are either different from or the same as faith-based mediators at a time.
Thirdly, who mediates matters because how a mediator faces their inner self influences their
external relationship with others, which then has an impact on the internal and external
relationships of their clients through communication. This deep internal relationship with
one’s own inner self extends to one’s soul or spirit.
Fourthly, such influences, whether communicated semantically and non-semantically,
through mediators’ presence, can shape or change a client’s views.
Fifthly, spirituality recognises such influences have levels and that clients’ consciousness can
be shifted to a higher level through settling their disputes; such a shift or transformation of
consciousness can happen as a result of connectedness with a mediator who attends the
mediation with their whole self.
Sixthly, this kind of shift tends to be facilitated best when the mediator creates a safe or
sacred space.
Seventh, the sense of the sacred in the mediation session, which is expressed by using the
terms spiritual and spirituality, is not necessarily associated with any specific religious
doctrine or faith.
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And finally, when the terms spiritual or spirituality are used by mediators, this does not imply
adherence to any specific mediation model.
Although there are similarities between them, the two authors’ contributions are also
distinct. Therefore, they are analysed separately, with a particular focus on the second
precept, which is central to this research as, according to Ito (2004), if there is no common
religious doctrine underlying their references to transliterated spirituality, the focus has to
be on the meanings. In other words, the authors’ printed words are the only keys to
understand their meanings, since no conceptualisation based on religion or religiosity is
possible (Ito, 2004).
Thus, the next two subsections highlight each publication and its respective arguments in
relation to these precepts.
3.3.2 Lois Gold (1993 and 2003) The article published by Lois Gold, a founding board member and past president of the
Academy of Family Mediators and also a therapist, in 1993 was then edited and re-published
as a chapter in Bowling and Hoffman (2003). Although the two versions are not identical,
the main points in both publications are the same and so are generally analysed as being
one and the same.77
Gold states that the reason for writing the article was because she saw the definition of the
role of mediator at that time was preventing mediation from being a healing process albeit
different from psychotherapy (Gold, 1993). She acknowledges that some readers may view
her suggestions as inappropriate to their mediation practice (Gold, 2003). Central to Gold’s
conceptualisation of mediation is that she considers it to be a healing process in which love
is the unifying principle. In her view, underlying the disputes that mediation users bring to
mediation sessions are wounds caused by living in a “soulless state” (Gold, 1993: 59).
In fact, in the revised chapter, Gold (2003: 191) extends her argument about the mediator’s
presence to the qualities that mediators can bring to their practice. In other words, those
77 Reference to significant revisions is flagged up in this thesis if any such revisions were evident.
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mediators who do not agree with her view may not accept her references of spirituality in
her mediation context and thus do not use her spirituality in their practice.
Based on her mediation experience, Gold (1993: 56-59) identifies four factors that increase
effectiveness in mediation: firstly, mediators need to focus on the present case by leaving
behind any judgement; secondly, they need to be aware of governing values, beliefs and
their higher purpose as a mediator by connecting to their inner self; thirdly, they need to
be able to wholly accept their mediation clients, which translates into a sense of connection
or rapport in the sessions; and finally, they need to be authentic and fearless as mediators,
which means the willingness and ability to reveal who they really are. A mediator’s own
highest spiritual centre or consciousness influence those factors (Gold, 1993: abstract and
55). Constructing a sense of connection between participating parties is important for the
dispute to be settled because the disputing clients can then make their own decision based
on their highest intentions (Gold, 1993: 61). In her understanding, the mediator’s highest
consciousness creates such a connected relationship by maintaining hope and belief in the
success of mediation (Gold, 1993: 55).
Gold (2003: 200) further expresses that:
In very contentious, seemingly unresolvable situations, when I set the intention “May the parties find a path to peace or healing,” something in the session shifts. It moves in a more positive, productive direction. I do not understand this, but it does occur. Perhaps it is coincidence or readiness. Perhaps the energy I am projecting changes when I go inside and center on the higher.
Gold (2003: 210) suggests changing the use or selection of words in mediation practice to
convey spirituality or healing. In her view, “[w]hen the mediator projects a sense of
reverence for what is sacred in this work, is willing to view the clients from the heart, and
can speak to the clients' soul, this work will be healing” (Gold, 1993: 57). Umbreit (2001: 8)
describes this as the language of the soul while Gold (2003: 210) herself refers to it as
language associated with the spiritual to reach the deeper part of the psyche.
In reframing the reason for the disputing parties’ suffering, Gold (2003: 210) suggests that
the compromising decision for both parties could be described as, “a healing gesture or as a
gift for the “higher good of the group”.” By using the medical metaphor of ‘wound’ and
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assimilating her mediation situation to a physician’s quote,78 the procedure is, for her,
embedded in the culture of healing, recognising disputes as wounds and the clients as
potential physicians. Gold (2003) goes on to explain that her disputing clients have their own
mediator within themselves and that her role is simply to direct their consciousness towards
their own internal ‘mediator’ to make a decision.
It would seem therefore that Gold, who is also a therapist, does not intend to heal her
mediation clients as a mediator in the way that she would do in her therapy sessions. She
states explicitly that the goal of mediation is not to heal the clients (Gold, 1993: 58). Instead,
Gold tries to change the clients’ perception from harming or attacking the other party,
thereby deepening the wound, redirecting the focus to healing or being gentle with the
other party, to settle whatever issues brought them to meditation. In such a transition, Gold
(1993) argues that incorporating the notion of healing into mediation is an effective tool.
What Gold also makes clear in her suggestions of selective language is that the effects of
bringing spirituality into one’s mediation practice is healing. However, this healing does not
occur without a mediator’s highest intentions to connect to the disputing clients (Gold,
2003: 210).
Gold (1993 and 2003) sees one’s spiritual centre as being at a higher level of consciousness.
Coming from one’s spiritual centre allows disputing parties to be connected and it is this
connectivity that results in healing. In such a state, they see how to settle their issues
themselves, yet it is the mediator who can help the disputants to connect at this higher level.
According to Gold (1993 and 2003), therefore, to bring about harmony, mediators also have
to be aware of their own spiritual centres, to focus and state their intentions in the actual
session in a similar manner to making prayers. Her key insight is the need for the sacred in
the session and this requires the ability to go inside and be centred in the ‘higher’ level of
consciousness (Gold, 1993: 57 and 62). By citing the well-known quote of Albert Einstein,
Gold (2003: 201) stressed that to solve the issue, the disputing parties need to be at a
different level from the level at which the issue was created.
78 “[p]atients carry their own doctor inside. They come to us not knowing that truth. We are at our best when we give the physician who resides in each patient a chance to work” (Gold, 2003: 213).
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So far, Gold (1993 and 2003) does not make any reference to any religious or spiritual
doctrines or practices. Instead, these mediation strategies are referred to as “holistic
mediation” (Gold, 1993: 55). However, in her suggestions about how to conduct holistic
mediation, she does suggest that when it seems an impasse has been reaching, the mediator
need “to ask participants who are stuck to go home and pray or ask for guidance”. Through
communion with “whatever is a spiritual sourcing”, by prayer or calling for the guidance
(Gold, 2003: 202), both the mediator and the clients can change their perceptions. Gold
(2003) sees such holistic mediation as applicable to any cultural group and indeed, she draws
on various sources, cultures and traditions: Buddhism, German poets, Mennonite tradition,
Native Americans, Quakers, shamanism and healing traditions from Brazil to Bali.
By not limiting her use of spirituality to any particular culture but embedding it as a part of
her holistic mediation, what Gold (1993 and 2003) emphasises is the importance of healing;
and such healing, which leads to the settling of disputes, is possible by using the spiritual
centre. Thus, her holistic mediation is not culture specific and nor does it form a unified
model of mediation (Gold, 1993: 65). What is clear from her writing is her willingness to
draw mediators, regardless of their practice models or their cultural or religious
backgrounds, to adopting a holistic approach to dispute resolution through using what she
refers to as their higher-self or spiritual centre (Gold, 1993: 65). Doing so allows participants,
including the mediator, to look within and to shift to the different level to find their own
solutions.79
The theories of mediation do not normally extend to the role of whom mediates (Bowling
and Hoffman, 2003; Roberts and Palmer, 2005; Simmel, 1950). Lois Gold (2003: 212) clarified
her view on this point by stating that not all readers accept her proposals because they can
be “inappropriate to a goal-oriented, structured, strategy-driven mediation”. In this regard,
Umbreit categorised his suggestions as an independent mediation model, the Humanistic
Mediation Model (1997: 211 and 2002: 7), in which beliefs and values are not subjected to
any empirical testing and mediators can choose this approach should they wish to. This
categorisation allows Umbreit to express his opinions freely at the same time as perhaps
79 Gold (2003: 185) distinguished her healing paradigm in mediation from the transformative model by Bush and Folger (1994), which recognised the importance of acknowledgment and empowerment in the mediation process, because the transformative model only emphasises the relational field among the participating parties. This point is discussed further in Chapter 4.
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restricting his receptive audience to a limited group of mediators who support and agree
with his view and use the model. Gold on the other hand, makes no reference to Umbreit’s
Humanistic Mediation model, grounding her practice in the importance of healing. This fact
together with her disclaimer of not intending to create any particular mediation model
based on her healing paradigm, already suggests that spirituality as used by these two
authors is not intended to form one specific mediation model.
3.3.3 Mark S. Umbreit (1997 and 2001) Umbreit’s career as a mediator spans 40 years and during this time, he has published books
and articles that refer to ‘spirituality’; his most recent was published in Northern Ireland in
2012. As with Gold, his main arguments regarding spirituality display no significant change
since his first publication in 1997, the contents of which were edited and published as a
chapter of his book published in 2001 still remain the same. This book was then translated
and published in Japan in 2007 (Fujioka, 2007), which was 6 years after his first training
sessions in the country being held in 2001 (Yasukawa and Ishihara, 2014). Then in 2017,
Umbreit re-visited to Japan to train Japanese-speaking participants; training sessions were
hosted by Ishihara and others at Kumamoto University as well as other in Kyoto (Ishihara,
2017a: 43-45). Therefore, in order to grasp what he means when referring to spirituality,
both his 1997 and 2001 publications are analysed as well as Ishihara’s Japanese translation
(2017b) of Umbreit’s video lecture published in 2014.80
Like Gold, Umbreit distinguishes deep listening skills from the kind of listening a therapist
will offer their clients. For Umbreit (2001), mediation work should be aiming for a form of
settlement that is beyond dispute resolution. Umbreit sees his role as underpinned by a
spiritual dimension, which he describes as, “the search for a deeper meaning and purpose
in life and the circumstances that we now face, an honoring of the sacred gift of life, and a
yearning for a greater connectedness with other beings and, for some, a higher being and
all of creation” (Umbreit, 2001: 258). This does not mean that his role as a mediator is any
different from other mediators, however.
Combining insights from his own mediation experiences with Carl Roger’s humanistic
approach in psychotherapy (Umbreit, 1997), Umbreit has been advocating his humanistic
80 The lecture is available at https://vimeo.com/111253366. In this chapter, Ishihara’s (2017b) translation of this lecture is used only as supplemental to what Umbreit claims in his publications of 2001 which is an edited version of his 1997 article.
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model since the 1990s. Whilst acknowledging the influence of the psychotherapeutic
approach, however, Umbreit’s approach to mediation has become established
independently and distinguished from psychotherapy (Umbreit, 2001: 7).
Developed also in parallel to Bush and Folger’s (1994) transformative model (Lewis and
Umbreit, 2015; Umbreit, 2001), his model is not entirely dissimilar to the transformative
model. In his 2017 lectures in Japan, he introduced his model as a humanistic ‘approach’ to
mediation and dialogue (Ishihara, 2017b).81 Umbreit now emphasises generic approaches
which any mediator can take in their mediation sessions. In formulating his Humanistic
Mediation Model, Umbreit (1997 and 2001) draws from indigenous conflict resolution which
uses grounded spirituality through forms of healing and peacebuilding techniques that are
shared across a variety of cultures. He lists native Hawaiian people who practice
ho’oponopono, Maori people of New Zealand, First Nation people in Canada and Native
American people in the USA, as the traditions that are particularly attuned to what his
humanistic mediation model promotes (Umbreit, 2001: 5). However, he admits that such an
application of spirituality in mediation models used in non-indigenous mediation “clearly not
capturing the full spiritual richness of many traditional practices of indigenous people”
(Umbreit, 2001: 9).
Also drawing on Gold’s Paradigm of Healing (1993), Umbreit emphasises the importance of
creating a safe and sacred space for humanistic mediation so that disputants feel safe to
disclose and reveal their true feelings (Umbreit, 2001: 8). In other publications, Umbreit
(1997 and 2012) explains how a safe and sacred space enables dialogue to ‘flow out’ (1997
and 2012). In other words, dialogues can occur naturally instead of being initiated or
instructed by the mediator (Umbreit, 1997: 206).
Drawing on spirituality in mediation requires him as a mediator to work with the clients’
storytelling process by being fully present, refraining from controlling or judging those
stories (Ishihara, 2017b: 34). It involves working with his own and his clients’ energy of
conflict, which is influenced by the mediator’s presence (Ishihara, 2017b: 34). The use of
non-verbal language, the being of the mediator in other words (Ishihara, 2017b: 32), can
81 For his most recent account on this model, please refer to Lewis and Umbreit (2015). This article was not published at the time Fujioka (2007) translating the book by Umbreit (2001).
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allow the energy of healing and forgiveness to flow between the disputants and lead them
to the settlement of the dispute (Ishihara, 2017b).
The notion of centring is important in Umbreit’s account of the mediator’s role. He believes
that to undertake this work, mediators themselves need to stay centred by reflecting on the
meanings of their own mediation work (Umbreit, 1997: 206). The 1997 article recommends
creating moments of silence by using self-reflection, meditation or prayer; the 2001
publication omits the detail, simply recommending “a few moments of silence” (Umbreit,
2001: 10).
Umbreit also identifies the importance of non-verbal communication both external and
internal to the mediator’s body, being sensitive to the clients’ needs by creating a safe space,
and some sort of ‘level’ of human values. Non-verbal language consists of deeper listening
through which unspoken dialogues can take place that all the participants in the mediation
session feel with their hearts as well as understand with their heads (Ishihara, 2017b).82
Speaking about spirituality as being one dimension of mediation, Umbreit (2001: 239)
refuses to generalise its application to all his clients as there are some who find no meaning
in religion and spirituality. Nonetheless, he posits that religions can provide a bridge to the
spiritual but at the same time, the spiritual exists beyond each doctrine (Umbreit, 2001: 258,
citing Remen, 1998). Because of individual differences in understanding, anchoring and the
need to respect spirituality or religion as well as the spiritual, mediators must never enforce
their own views in terms of the spiritual dimension (Umbreit, 2001: 239). Based on his
writing, it is clear that in his view religions can include spirituality and that the two can be
used interchangeably, depending on the clients rather than on the mediator’s views or
opinions.
As has been explained, the work of Gold and Umbreit was chosen for analysis because their
references to the terms spiritual or spirituality have been translated into Japanese.
Umbreit’s humanistic model, which is now also described by Umbreit himself as a humanistic
approach to mediation (Ishihara, 2017b), inspired by the paradigm of healing proposed by
82 The similar point was already suggested by Simmel (1950: 149) as; “[s]uch mediations do not even have to be performed by means of words. A gesture, a way of listening, the mood that radiates from a particular [mediator], are enough to change the difference between two [disputants]”.
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Gold (1993).83 Although the two share a number of commonalities and Umbreit (2001)
praises the paradigm as helping to understand his humanistic model of mediation better,
their differences should not be ignored. Although both refer to the importance of spirituality
in their arguments, Gold stresses the importance of healing while Umbreit emphasises the
significance of the mediator’s presence in the mediation sessions.
The differences in their arguments suggest that the terms spiritual or spirituality indicate
something similar between their mediation strategies, rather than forming one mediation
model or creating a category of mediators. Consequently, describing the mediation process
with those terms is not limited to mediators, but their clients, prospective ones or anyone
who recognises “the precious gift of human existence, relationships, community, and the
deeper spiritual connectedness among all of us in our collective journey through this life,
regardless of religious, cultural, political, and lifestyle differences” (Umbreit, 2001: 8). Based
on this recognition, Umbreit appraises Gold’s healing paradigm, which he saw as containing
“enormous implications for humanistic mediation practice in any context in which the
nature of the conflict relates to broken relationships” (Umbreit, 2001: 7).
Despite their differences in each argument, Gold and Umbreit share the terms spiritual or
spirituality which were summarised as the eight precepts in 3.3.1 above. The analysis of
these texts supports the suggestion by Hense (2011) that minor components and forms of
spirituality are embedded in the social aspect of language. Both Gold and Umbreit used
those terms to express the components in their language by sharing those precepts, but
such shared core precepts do not mean that their arguments are the same. The terms
spiritual and spirituality are used as tools to convey one element of their professional views
as mediators. This discovery of the component parts is the purpose of textual analysis (Karcic,
2006).
When each reference to the terms spiritual or spirituality is considered in a pragmatic
manner, such as by cross-referencing to other mediation articles in English that also refer to
those terms, their meaning can be understood much more profoundly and critically. Such
83 In his exact wordings, “[U]nderstanding and practicing humanistic mediation in the context of the paradigm of healing offered by Gold is ultimately grounded in a profound recognition of the precious gift of human existence, relationships, community, and the deeper spiritual connectedness among all of us in our collective journey through this life, regardless of religious, cultural, political, and lifestyle differences” (Umbreit, 2001: 8).
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analysis runs the risk of making the exact meaning in the context of mediation even more
elusive. Moreover, as has already been illustrated in this section, the terminology is
intrinsically context bound. It is nonetheless hoped that the analysis can contribute to
understanding these terms as used in the context of mediation, thereby bringing some
clarity and dispelling some of the ambiguity. On the other hand, if the meaning is indeed
fluid and the ineffability cannot be eliminated, the terms used as equivalences in Japanese
language need to reflect this quality.
Therefore, the next section examines and interprets the component parts as well as the
whole arguments by discussing those eight precepts in the context of English-speaking
mediation.
3.4 Discussing the generated eight core precepts in the context of English-speaking mediation
During the literature search conducted for the purposes of this thesis, more than 32 articles
were found aside from Gold and Umbreit’s work, that discuss spirituality in the context of
mediation. Published in the English language between 1987 and 2017, these articles were
written in Australia, China, Ethiopia, India, New Zealand, Northern Ireland, Sierra Leone,
Taiwan, Tanzania, Turkey and the USA. In order to understand Gold (1993 and 2003) and
Umbreit (1997 and 2001) more thoroughly, the generated eight core precepts are
considered below in a wider context by referring to the other English language publications.
Each subsection focuses on one of the precepts identified in 3.3.1 to understand the
implications of the precepts in the context of mediation.
3.4.1 Spirituality in the context of mediation is not limited to any particular culture such as indigenous or non-indigenous mediation
As discovered in the previous section, Gold and Umbreit do not limit what they describe as
spirituality to non-indigenous mediation. However, as clear from what Umbreit (2001: 9)
acknowledged, spirituality used in indigenous and non-indigenous mediation are not the
same but on the same spectrum.
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Comparing non-indigenous and indigenous mediation in terms of spirituality, Walker (1999:
17-18) argued that while spirituality in non-indigenous mediation was considered as
optional or viewed with scepticism, indigenous mediation, which she saw as being closer to
peacebuilding in nature, fully integrated their spirituality into the process. In 2007 when the
notion of using the terms spiritual or spirituality was introduced to the Japanese-speaking
mediation context, Walker (2007: 27) still declared that in non-indigenous mediation,
spirituality was only mentioned by a “minority of practitioners and scholars (notably Gold,
1993, and Umbreit, 1997)”. Even though she acknowledged that these two authors belonged
to the minority of mediators who did mention the importance of spirituality in their practice,
she did not change her original argument regarding the contrast between spirituality in
indigenous and non-indigenous mediation.
Walker’s declaration made in 2007, albeit limited to the English-speaking context, does not
reflect the development of mediation as an academic field or a professional practice.
Although not in great numbers, there has been a steady stream of articles being published
(Bowling and Hoffman, 2003: 43).84 As of 2019, there are more than 34 publications on the
topic available in the English language. As a result, the gap between spirituality in indigenous
and non-indigenous mediation has narrowed and at the same time, the finer differences
between the two have emerged (Barnes, 1994; Huber, 1993; Matthews-Giba, 2000; Umbreit,
1997). This is not to deny the validity of Walker’s viewpoint. Rather, by discussing these
different perspectives, this subsection deepens understanding about the first precept
generated from the textual analysis.
In the same year that Gold (1993) published her article, five other articles were published in
the field of non-indigenous mediation that used the terms spiritual or spirituality.85 Like
Shook and Kwan (1987), Huber (1993) wrote about spirituality in the context of indigenous
mediation while the other four are in non-indigenous mediation. Despite the different
mediation contexts, these five articles display strong similarities, in that they all emphasise
the importance of feeling connected.
84 However, over the period of this research, no criticisms have been published against any of those publications. Thus, republishing the edited versions of earlier articles is done without receiving the published counter opinions. This may indicate the topic itself do not attract academic debates in Mediation. 85 Those are Lapin (1993), Chupp (1993), Huber (1993), Zumeta (1993), and Saposnek (1993) in a descending order.
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There are of course, differences. For example, in indigenous mediation, spirituality includes
reference to the spirit of the ancestors and the power and wisdom of the elders, who are
seen as highly spiritual and therefore are conferred the role of mediator. On the other hand,
spirituality in non-indigenous mediation stresses the significance of the internal self of all
participants in the mediation process and no reference is made to accessing the spirits of
the ancestors or conferring special spiritual power on elders to mediate. In non-indigenous
mediation, spirituality is associated with a shift to a higher level of consciousness or to a
sense of height as a result of connecting to one another in a mediation session; no such
references were made when describing indigenous mediation.86
Walker (1999) effectively observed two spiritualities in the respective mediation contexts as
different, yet the differences are, in fact, in what each author tried to convey by using the
terms spiritual and spirituality. For example, up to 1993, the spiritualities used in non-
indigenous and indigenous mediation remained separated (Shook and Kwan, 1987; Huber,
1993; Walker, 1999). Huber (1993) proposed the partial application of the Medicine Wheel,
which was originally used by First Nation people in Canada and now by non-aboriginal
people as well to solve disputes, in non-indigenous mediation provided that the attendees
of mediation understand and respect the notion reflected on the Wheel.87 Barnes (1994)
also stresses that the pacific model is used in cross-cultural mediation by integrating
indigenous spirituality into non-indigenous mediation practice. In a similar manner,
ho’oponopono has been used in non-indigenous mediation practice (Goldberg and Blancke,
2012).
This division once existed between spiritualities of indigenous and non-indigenous
mediation certainly does not mean that indigenous communities, which share the same
‘spirituality’ in Walker’s (1999 and 2007) definition, do not have disputes with other
different indigenous communities. In fact, they do not share the same mediation practice;
each has developed own mediation which uses spirituality. Fisher (2000) claims that in many
indigenous communities, symbols are used in mediation to bridge the differences which
86 This point is discussed in the fifth precept below. 87 Huber (1993: 364) cautioned that the model being used in the mediation involving non-Aboriginal parties may result in “a disrespectful appropriation of cultural heritage”. In addition, an application of this model requires a cautious approach in the context of mediating Aboriginal people who have exposed to urban culture which contain many different ‘cultures’ of non-Aboriginal people (Huber, 1993: 364). For using the model in the non-Aboriginal disputes, Huber (1993: 364-365) suggested to extract some components as its concepts alone and not to refer the entire wheel.
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have caused the dispute. The symbols allow mediators to approach the spiritual dimension
of the disputants, which is equated by Fisher with the soul (see also, Wolf, 2017).
Since 2000, there has been an increase in the mention of spirituality in relation to mediation,
and there seems to be a growing consensus about the importance of approaching the
disputants as human beings with souls, regardless of their personal backgrounds (see for
instance, Cloke, 2005; Gold, 2003; Goldberg and Blancke, 2012; Hoffman, 2006; Jurevic,
2000; Nan, 2011; Umbreit, 2001; and Wolf, 2017). As Umbreit (2001) has stated, perhaps
the issue with spirituality in the mediation context is not about how to define it but whether
people recognise it.
What is missing from these articles is any reference to previous publications that refer to
spirituality to seek or form a definition. This suggests that the authors’ primary intention is
not to create or formulate the integrated meaning of spirituality in the English-speaking
mediation context; they simply use the term in the arguments so that to emphasise the
important points they make in their publications. In other words, in these other English
language publications on mediation as well, spirituality is embedded in their main arguments
rather than being the main subject of the discussion itself (Hense, 2011).
In the context of mediation concerning English language resources, the meanings of the
terms spiritual or spirituality are indeed context dependent, or, more accurately, user
dependent. The distinction Walker (1999) draws between spirituality in indigenous cultures
and non-indigenous cultures remains persuasive. At the same time, Barnes’ (1994) proposed
integration of spirituality into non-indigenous mediation is also persuasive considering its
effectiveness as expressed by Shook and Kwan (1987). In addition, the risks of resulting in “a
disrespectful appropriation of cultural heritage” cautioned by Huber (1993: 364) can only be
avoided by understanding the nature of mediation practice. Mediators then need to explain
what spirituality means in their context of their mediation.88 The first precept found in Gold
(1993) and Umbreit (1997 and 2001) seemingly illustrates the current position between
indigenous and non-indigenous mediation over spirituality, by emphasising the similarities
instead of the differences.
88 This point further becomes evident in the next subsection.
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3.4.2 Spirituality can include religion, be a part of religion, be independent from religion or be interchangeable with religion
The second precept generated from Gold (1993 and 2003) and Umbreit (1997 and 2001)
seems to reflect the diverse academic views of mediators. The context of mediation allows
four types of spirituality to coexist: spirituality includes or overlaps with religious faiths or
non-religious faiths; religions can include spirituality; spirituality is different from religious
faiths; and spirituality is the same as religion. Some mediators also have confirmed that what
is spiritual about mediation can be religious at the same time (Menkel-Meadow, 2003;
Bowling and Hoffman, 2003; Cloke, 2005; Lichtenstein, 2005; Hoffman, 2006; Jones and
Georgakopoulos, 2009; Jones, 2009; Nun, 2011; Goldberg and Blancke, 2012; and Hoffman
and Wolman, 2013). Spirituality is a part of religious belief (Tauscher, 2003), but could be at
the same time independent of religious belief (Gold, 2003; Umbreit, 2001 and 2005; Mayer
and Boness, 2011), or interchangeable with religious belief (Matthews-Giba, 2000; Turay,
2000; Umbreit, 2001; Jones and Georgakopoulos, 2009; Goldberg and Blancke, 2011;
Ollapally, 2011; Bobrowski, Timor, and Ronel, 2017).
Nonetheless, these different views about the relationship between spirituality and religion
do not necessarily reflect the authors’ personal religious beliefs (for instance, Lapin, 1993;
Menkel-Meadow, 2001). Even in the same publication, spirituality is used to mean either
different from or interchangeable with religions at the time (see Umbreit, 2001 and 2005;
and also, Jones and Georgakopoulos, 2009). The divisions described between spirituality and
religion depend on what the author wants to convey. While the expression is a matter for
each mediator, choosing the terms spiritual or spirituality to describe their practice may be
considered as emphasising that spirituality in mediation means something different from
spirituality in faith-based mediation. If the mediation practice is specifically driven by a
religious faith or faith expressed by the term spirituality, such mediation is categorised as
faith-based mediation (Goldberg, 2016). Tauscher (2003) considers spirituality as a part of
religious beliefs so in this instance, spirituality appears to be a part of faith-based mediation.
Tauscher’s spirituality is categorised differently when comparing to the spirituality used in
indigenous mediation.
In an article about indigenous mediation in Hawaii, the terms spiritual or spirituality are used,
and the authors explain that there was not a specific word for religion before the Westerner
came (Shook and Kwan, 1987: 5). Shook and Kwan (1987), who consider the spiritual
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influences are central to the native Hawaiian mediation method, ho’oponopono, use the
term spirituality to describe something inseparable from one’s life, accessible through
ancestors’ spirits, beyond the physical world and perceived in every part of the social order
in the community in which ho’oponopono is used. Similarly, Huber (1993) and Walker (2001)
describe how the notion of spirituality is embedded in specific cultures and emphasise the
importance of the relationship with religion, whether in the context of non-indigenous or
indigenous mediation. In these instances, spirituality used by these authors do not form part
of religious faith.
It is also important to emphasise that when referring to spirituality, mediators are not
necessarily aligning themselves with any particular faith. Umbreit (2001: 258) suggests that
mediators should never initiate any issues in relation to spirituality based on their own
perceptions. Mediators interviewed in Jones’s research (2009) also reported that they would
not share their views on spirituality with their prospective clients. If a particular faith is being
used as a guiding force in the mediation session, all parties, including the mediator, need to
know. Indeed, faith-based mediation would not work without such a common, shared
recognition of the framework that is being used in the mediation sessions. However, these
mediators who intentionally use the terms spiritual or spirituality are not necessarily willing
to make their mediation faith based. In other words, their personal views which are
expressed by the term spirituality do not become their practice base.
When Gold refers to spirituality in the context of mediation, it can “encompass the values
of compassion, right action, forgiveness, an inclusiveness that are the basis of all spiritual
practices” (Gold, 2003: 186). However, there is no need “to adopt any type of religious
orientation” (Gold, 2003: 186; see also Ollapally, 2011). Once a religious orientation is
adopted and shared with attending parties, it becomes faith-based mediation. By not
specifying the source or origin of the spiritual practices, Gold’s (2003) spirituality has made
it possible for mediators to work with clients from any religious background, without
discrimination (see also, Menkel-Meadow, 2001).
Similarly, Umbreit’s (2001: 258) spirituality is inclusive of those who believe in a higher being
and all of creation as well as those who do not. By not limiting their spirituality to a particular
faith, both authors tried to engage in settling disputes based on “the precious gift of human
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existence, relationships, community, and the deeper spiritual connectedness among all of
us in our collective journey through this life, regardless of religious, cultural, political, and
lifestyle differences” (Umbreit, 2001: 8). This approach avoids the risk in dispute resolution
that religion can and will lead to “division and intolerance” (Goldberg and Blancke, 2011:
377; see also Bercovitch and Kadayifci-Orellana, 2009).
Smith (2010) defined the major difference between religion and spirituality as the former
being institutionalised and the latter free-floating (see also, Webster, 2012). A notion seems
to become a religious principle of a kind when it is communicated and shared among people
(Aston, 1905: 5). By also taking these religious scholars’ views into consideration, treating
religion and spirituality as one or separately in the context of mediation only becomes
problematic when it is the cause of the dispute. When there is no such a risk, the approach
to spirituality in the session can be inclusive of individuals’ religious allegiance to Christianity,
Islam or Buddhism or any religious or faith practice that has been mutually agreed, shared
or respected by the mediator and clients to achieve the purpose, which is to settle the
dispute.
3.4.3 Who mediates matters due to spirituality As mentioned in the previous section, the theories of mediation do not normally extend to
the role of whom mediates (Bowling and Hoffman, 2003; Roberts and Palmer, 2005; Simmel,
1950). Even then, some mediators have asked; “don’t we need to look at ‘being a mediator’
rather than just ‘doing mediation’?” (Bowling and Hoffman, 2003; Fox, 2004 as cited in
Goldberg and Blancke, 2011: 377; see also Jones, 2009).
Who mediates matters because how a mediator faces their inner self will influence their
external relationship with others, which then has an impact on the client’s internal and
external relationships through the communication that takes place in the mediation sessions.
This precept has also been expressed using the terms spiritual or spirituality by Lapin (1993),
Chupp (1993), Saposnek (1993b), Gold (1993 and 2003), Bowling and Hoffman (2003),
Umbreit (1997; 2001; 2005), Cloke (2005), Jones (2009), Nan (2011), Nun (2011), Ollapally
(2011), and Roche (2017). A similar idea to using spirituality in mediation, which is to use
intention in mediation, appears in an article written by Davis (1989: 21) who proposes that
successful mediation outcomes occur due to the hopes of the mediators. In addition, Phillips
(2001), Sidy (1996 as cited in Jones and Georgakopoulos, 2009) and Moore (2014) also refer
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to the importance of a mediator’s energies focused on bringing about a shift in
consciousness, which then leads to settlement.
The deep internal relationship with one’s own inner self, in some authors’ accounts, extends
to one’s soul (Lapin, 1993 and Nan, 2011) or spirit (Umbreit, 2005; Cloke, 2005; and Goldberg
and Blancke, 2012). Thus, Wolf (2017) equates spirituality with harmony when used in the
mediation context. Jones (2009) phrased this notion as who mediates matters because
mediation is spiritual in nature.
Although Wolf (2017: 25) emphasises that his view of spirituality in the context of mediation
is to separate the spirituality of the mediator from the mediation process, in a latter chapter,
he then proposed how important it is for mediators to reflect on themselves. He suggests
that mediators should reflect on whether they have any internal conflict and ask if the
outcomes or discussions of the mediation that they are conducting accommodate the
mediator’s spiritual life (Wolf, 2017: 76-68). By explaining mindfulness as “the practice of
bringing one’s attention to whatever is unfolding in the present moment” (Wolf, 2017: 77),
Wolf’s view is that spiritual approaches in mediation include mindfulness of the mediation
participants, including the mediator (Wolf, 2017: 76-78).
Paying attention and listening to the internal voices of clients is also emphasised by Cloke
(2005), and the importance of being fully present as a mediator is also discussed by Lapin
(1993), Zumeta (1993 and 2017), Nan (2011) and Nun (2011). Wolf’s attempt, although failed,
to separate the notion of who mediates matters from mediation being spiritual in nature,
led to illustrating how important the mediator’s spirituality is in providing mediation. In
other words, Wolf (2017) argues that spirituality improves mediation.
The contradiction between who mediates and how to mediate is further illustrated by
Hoffman (2006). When a bill was passed to certify mediators, who had worked for a
minimum of five years in Massachusetts, USA, the ADR community of the state successfully
vetoed the legislation. Although there was a recognised need for such a certification scheme,
Hoffman (2006: 470) draws attention to the limitations of a certification system that is only
based on one criterium, in the case of Massachusetts, five years of mediation experience.
Given the complexity and nature of mediation, certifying mediators by simply focusing on
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the length of mediation practice could reduce the quality of mediation provision, although
at the same time, it could ensure uniformity and establish mediation as a profession
(Hoffman, 2006). This same point was also made by a participant mediator in the study
conducted by Jones (2009).
A better certification scheme would be one that values training. For example, in England and
Wales, family mediation trainings are regulated and the accreditation to conduct Mediation
Information and Assessment Meetings (‘MIAM’) can only be granted to those who have
attended and completed certain trainings. Mediators who undertake MIAMs have worked
toward their accreditation by completing a foundation training, fulfilling the accreditation
requirements, including the submission of a portfolio, and satisfied post-accreditation
conditions (Family Mediation Council, 2019). In this case, the accreditation is conferred
based on the mediator’s training and practice evidence instead of simply the length of time
they have been mediating. The vital issue, in Hoffman’s view (2006), is the lack of consensus
of what mediation is, due to the emphasis on the breadth of service.
Nonetheless, Hoffman (2006) viewed a certification scheme is as important, particularly if it
is underpinned by an awareness and deep understanding of mediation practice. Based on
the same awareness and understanding, practitioners experience how influential their
beings are on their clients during their mediation sessions, which they describe as ‘spiritual’.
This leads to the question stated at the beginning of this subsection: “don’t we need to look
at ‘being a mediator’ rather than just ‘doing mediation’?” (Bowling and Hoffman, 2003; Fox,
2004 as cited in Goldberg and Blancke, 2011: 377; see also Jones, 2009).
Taking these academic and professional opinions into consideration with regards to the
relationship between who mediates and how to mediate, raised in the context of mediation,
the claim ‘who mediates matters due to spirituality’ may already appear to be contradictory,
if not controversial, relative to mediation practice. It suggests that the question about who
mediates matter based on the notion of using spirituality in the context has not originated
in the study of mediation but pertains to the study of spirituality. This disciplinary
misplacement, which locates the argument about the use of spirituality in mediation rather
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than in spirituality itself, 89 makes the most important point in their argument rather
ambiguous since they do not explain what they mean when referring to spirituality, which is
only a component of whole.
The argument of who mediates matters connotes that a mediator can influence their clients
in reaching resolution by maintaining a deep internal relationship with their own inner self,
referred to as soul or spirit. The reference to soul or spirit has spiritual implications and, thus,
this argument relates to a discipline of spirituality rather than mediation. By changing the
nature of argument from mediation theories and practices to what each mediator tries to
convey by the term spiritual or spirituality, the illustration further clarifies that the way of
being a mediator influences mediation practice. How the mediator’s way of being influences
their practice is summarised as the fourth precept, which discussed in the next section.
Before moving onto the next precept, it is important to summarise what has become
apparent through the analysis so far. As Umbreit (2001) has claimed, what mediators feel,
believe or value does not need to become subject to empirical testing, as when they express
their personal and professional values and beliefs in their publications. Umbreit posits that
spiritual experiences lose certain qualities as soon as they are analysed, quantified,
distinguished, measured or enumerated. This is echoed by Cloke (2005) when he associates
the nature of spirituality to the feeling of love.
Therefore, regarding the research aim, which is to analyse the suitability of the currently
applied Japanese translations of the writings of Gold (1993 and 2003) and Umbreit (1997
and 2001), the notion of using spirituality in the mediation context needs also to be
discussed in the context of Japanese-speaking mediation. The empirical testing of personal
or professional views about mediation regarding effectiveness does not help this research
to achieve its aim. What is required is to discuss the notion of spirituality that was introduced
to the Japanese-speaking mediation context through the translations of work by Gold (1993
and 2003) and Umbreit (1997 and 2001). This will highlight the extent to which the
introduction of the term has contributed to the development of mediation in Japan and the
extent to which it has exacerbated existing issues. In doing so, the already identified issues
89 Both Jones (2009) and Nun (2011), the two studies discussed in Chapter 2, were in the field of conflict resolution which includes mediation.
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arising from the currently applied translations, transliteration as well as seishin, can be
analysed and discussed in a more pragmatic manner.
3.4.4 Spirituality influences both semantically and non-semantically through mediator’s presence
Several mediators, in addition to Gold (1993 and 2003) and Umbreit (2005), claim that they
influence their clients during mediation sessions through both non-semantic and semantic
means (see for example Lapin, 1993; Chupp, 1993; Cloke, 2005; Goldberg and Blancke, 2011
and 2012; and Wolf, 2017). Among those, Chupp’s definition of non-verbal communication
may well illustrate what Gold (1993 and 2003) and Umbreit (2005) mean when they refer to
the need for mediators to feel with their hearts as well as understand with their heads.
Chupp (1993) claims, by emphasising the importance of spirituality in mediation, that
conflict transformation, which leads clients to a settlement, only occurs when there is an
internal shift in one’s perceptions and when each person’s spiritual energy is awakened.
According to Chupp, this internal shift and transformation are not material but something
that occurs inside clients and happens as a result of a mediator centring themselves.
Centring is defined by Umbreit (2001) as a deeper sense of spirituality, a recognition of one’s
interconnectedness with others and the sacred gift of their existence. The overlap in
perspective between Chupp and Umbreit does not mean that Chupp uses the humanistic
model. Indeed, Chupp (1993) does not refer to the humanistic model when describing his
practice.
When communication occurs either unilaterally or bilaterally without “the aid of normal
communication” (Jackson, 2011: 162) such as by sensing, “what is on someone else’s mind
and engage with them in mind-to-mind dialogue” (Chamberlain, 2013: 71-72), it is referred
to as telepathy. There is much anecdotal evidence of telepathy in human beings, namely
adults (Radin, 2009; Sheldrake, 2013; Stevenson, 1970; Palmer, 1979; and Wolman, 1977),
foetuses, babies and children (Broughton and Alexander, 1997; Chamberlain, 2013: 71-72;
Silverman, 2002; Sullivan, 1953; Recordon, Stratton, and Peters, 1968) and animals (Lesniak,
2006).
As cited in 3.2 above, the term spirituality in the context of mediation may as well be an
indication of the mediators’ passion as a profession to explain their important experiences
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as a mediator in the same manner as psychotherapists do in the context of Japanese-
speaking psychotherapy (Ishikawa, 2010). In this regard, it may be useful to refer to the
research conducted outside of the mediation context to aid understanding their claims.
Three experiments, which highlight the power of language (Takao et al., 2006 and Radin,
2006 and 2008), should be cited to reiterate what the mediators mean by influencing
through semantic communication can also be accepted in the Japanese-speaking mediation
context. Those experiments were undertaken after being inspired by the series of
publications by Masaru Emoto, a Japanese medical doctor, on ‘messages from water’ (see
mainly, Emoto, 2001/1999). Emoto (2004: 20) reported that “water in harmony with nature
produces beautiful crystals and water that are polluted or exposed to certain discordant
vibrations do not produce beautiful crystals”, and that distilled water exposed to Japanese,
“words “Love & Thanks” produced beautiful crystals and the word "Devil" or "You Fool"
produced no crystals at all” (Emoto, 2004: 20). In Emoto’s view, these differences in crystal
formations are something to do with hado,90 which is a Japanese word for, “both energy and
vibration at the level of consciousness” (Emoto, 2004: 22).
Emoto’s publications have been greatly criticised by the public and fellow academics for
their experimental methods and results (Kikuchi, 2016; Yasui, 2006: 963). As Yasui (2006)
pointed out, such criticisms have to prove that there is no replication chance by conducting
the same experiments as Emoto’s, but this thesis has identified no such research article
published by counter parties so far. Instead, the following three research, which were
conducted respectively by Takao et al. and Radin in 2006 and 2008, are available to confirm
Emoto’s experiments.
Regarding an experiment conducted by Takao, et al. (2006), which Emoto was one of the
research members, the research result was released at a meeting of the Psychical Society of
Japan on 8th August 2006. Four labels on which had ‘Thank you’ and ‘You Fool’ typed and
printed in Japanese and English respectively, were taped on four 100ml bottles of distilled
water with Sellotape. The two bottles on which had ‘Thank you’ labels in both languages
slightly increased Ca rates, which was not contained originally in their water, in the first week
and kept the increased rate the next week, while those had ‘You Fool’ on significantly
90 The Japanese translation is 波動.
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increased the Ca rate by the first week past but it had disappeared completely in the
following week. They reported that the same results were recorded by repeating the same
experiments four times. The similar power of language has also been observed even at a
distance as seen in two experiments conducted by Radin (2006 and 2008).
As for the non-semantic communication, there have been numerous studies testing the
effectiveness of intercessory prayers on human beings.91 While our, “[i]ntention can be
expressed in both positive and negative ways” (Schwartz and Dossey, 2010: 302; see also
Benson, et al. 2006), the effectiveness of intercessory prayer may depend upon the belief or
willingness of those who receive such treatments (Palmer, Katerndahl, and Morgan-Kidd,
2004; Reid et al.,2017). The same may be seen to apply to mediation, which can only be
effective with the willingness of its disputing users.
Sicher et al. (1998) who carried out an experiment to test the effect of distance healing on a
group of HIV patients concluded that, “[t]he findings of decreased medical utilization, fewer
and less severe new illnesses, and improved mood for the treated group compared with the
controls supports a positive therapeutic effect of [distant healing], [and continued t]his
outcome is difficult to explain, particularly in this double-blind study where subjects,
physicians, and study personnel did not know who was in the treatment group” (Sicher, et
al., 1998: 361).
To be convinced that such telepathic effects of mediators on their clients contribute towards
resolution, the present thesis must look for future experiments that could measure the
statistical probabilities of resolution through mediation using silence. Although the
importance of thoughts is emphasised based on resources available on telepathy and
distance healing, these sources only suggest the possibility of mediators communicating
their thoughts to their clients. On the first page of the above-mentioned article by Sicher, et
al. (1998: 361), an unusual foreword is inserted by the editor, who is also a medical doctor:
“Does the paper prove that prayer works? No. The authors call for more research, as do we and the reviewers, for a number of reasons. We note that the study was relatively short and analysed rather few patients. No treatment-related mechanisms for the effects were posited. The statistical methods can be criticized. We have chosen to publish this provocative paper to stimulate other studies of distant healing and
91 Such as Byrd (1988), Wirth and Cram (1994), Sicher et al. (1998), Harris et al. (1999), Cha, Wirth, and Lobo (2001), Seskevich, et al (2004), Jegindo et al. (2013), Rock, Permezel, and Storm (2012)
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other complementary practices and agents. It is time for more light, less dark, less heat”. (Sicher, et al. 1998: 361)
The same goes for those mediators who emphasise the influence of a mediator’s being on
their clients.92 While telepathic communication cannot be conclusive in its occurrence and
nor can non-semantic communication between mediators and their clients, this does not
prevent the present thesis from highlighting the importance of this point, especially
considering that this precept was based on the actual experiences of professional mediators.
The findings of the experiments by Sicher et al (1998) support the presumption of non-
semantic communication through telepathy or the strong intention of mediators.
This also explains why Gold (1993 and 2003) and Umbreit (1997 and 2001), who refer to
spirituality in describing their mediation experience, emphasise the importance of being
fully present during the sessions. By totally focusing on the mediation sessions, they further
underline the importance of the non-semantic influence. Taking together with Sicher et al.
(1998), the good intention of the mediator can be seen as a strong ‘heartfelt’ wish for their
clients to find resolution. Hence, good intentions for settlements lead to consciousness shifts
in their clients that then lead to settlements.
The non-semantic influence of a mediator on their client during a mediation sessions are the
ideas primarily based on their views, values and beliefs and rooted in their mediation
experiences; they cannot be seen as empirical results.93 As seen in Gold (1993 and 2003)
and Umbreit (1997 and 2001 and as highlighted by Ishihara, 2017b), their arguments have
not changed over a lengthy period of time, despite not being tested empirically. This is
because such claims are practice values that have developed based on what they have
experienced as mediators with their clients. Their claims could be tried and tested
scientifically; such research is possible as there are significant numbers of studies that have
tested the effects of unvoiced intentions.
However, considering the research aim of the present thesis, it is debatable whether such
scientific, empirical data is required to support what the mediators say about their
92 For instance, Bowling and Hoffman (2003), Chupp (1993), Gold (1993), Jones (2009), Nan (2011, Umbreit (2001). 93 Apart from Jones (2009). However, as discussed in Chapter 2, her research lacks necessary details to be considered as an empirical study.
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experience. Even though such study results have been offered together with their personal
views, its main argument, the suitability of the currently applied translation for the terms
spiritual or spirituality, remains the same. Instead, what those existing researches imply is
that both English and Japanese researchers as scholars recognised the importance of
conducting their researches. In other words, people speaking either or both languages have
potential to understand this fourth precept as an important factor.94
In this section so far, the focus has been on the claims put forward by non-indigenous
mediators. In indigenous mediation, which Umbreit (1997 and 2001) does not distinguish
from spirituality of non-indigenous mediation in his arguments, spirituality includes
accessing the spirits of the ancestors through the spiritual power of the elders and their role
in undertaking mediation by using such a power (Shook and Kwan, 1987: 47; Walker, 1999,
2001 and 2001b). On the one hand, those who prefer phenomena to be analysed, quantified,
distinguished, measured or enumerated will find even less answers when seeking to
scientifically prove spirituality as expressed in mediation regardless of indigenous or non-
indigenous mediation. On the other, the lack of empirical data cannot deny what people try
to convey what they experience in a mediation session. As Cloke (2005) rightly points out,
spirituality loses certain qualities when to quantify people’s spiritual experiences. As seen in
the next discussion, the fifth precept also is simply a metaphorical description of how
mediators have felt during past mediation sessions.
As Ishikawa (2010) argues, using the term spirituality to explain the phenomenon which the
experiencers experienced can be due to their passion to convey the experience. In
understanding what Lois Gold and Mark S. Umbreit try to say by the terms spiritual or
spirituality, it is important not to restrict the understandings to scientific evidence. Instead,
their voices should be taken as an experienced mediator’s opinion and advice which leave
much freedom to its audience how he or she then deals with the information shared in their
published articles.
94 Although Chapter 6 will further discuss in detail, some parts from a book of Emoto (2001/1999), The Message from Water, was used as a material for moral education textbooks for the compulsory school education in Japan.
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3.4.5 Spirituality leads disputants to settlements at a higher level through connection with others
This precept, similar to the previous one, should be seen as a rather metaphorical expression
of what mediators as authors have felt during their mediation sessions since material shifts
during the sessions cannot occur. The connection referred to does not assume any tangible
connection between the attending parties such as holding hands. Taking conflict as a state
of disconnectedness due to the differences among the disputing parties and spirituality as
an implication of a connected state based on unity, Zumeta (1993: 26) states that:
[w]hen mediation encompasses both the unity and diversity, it is almost holy. It is after all, the best that we on earth can hope for: to respect and appreciate our differences and our similarities and the connectedness between us. That is why the moment of deep agreement is so profound.
By describing her mediation experiences as spiritual, Zumeta (1993) emphasises how
mediators themselves need to feel connected, in other words to be united, or in harmonious
relationship, with other people around them if they are to provide spirituality in their
mediation sessions (see also, Saposnek, 1993). In their view, spirituality does not simply
occur instantly during a mediation session by paying attention to changes in the
consciousness of the participating clients. Instead, the mediators themselves must be role
models for their clients to show how to be in such harmonious relationships with the people
around them. The mediator’s relationship of peace and harmony for justice for their clients
is, “all presumably to achieve a higher purpose and a better relationship for the parties”
(Menkel-Meadow, 2001: 1081).
One mediator described the state of being in dispute as “[i]n conflicts, we may not only be
“in over Our Heads” but also emotionally exhausted, spiritually shuttered, and physically
frozen” (Nan, 2011: 247 emphasis in the original). By connecting the other parties attending
mediation, the disputants become spiritually open. The sense of interconnectedness
between people allows the disputants to relate to the world as well as to the transcendent
(Nun, 2011: 55).
Through a higher consciousness (Gold, 1993: 55), some mediators connect to others
including the transcendent. The highest consciousness of the mediator influences the clients
in mediation and allows the discussions to shift in a more positive, productive direction (Gold,
2003: 200). This conflict transformation only occurs when there is an internal shift in one’s
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perceptions and when, “the creative spiritual energy within each person comes to life”
(Chupp, 1993: 6; also, Cloke, 2005). This internal shift and transformation occurring inside
clients, however, can be felt (Umbreit, 2005). With the sense of connectedness in place
(Umbreit, 2005: 4), spirituality requires a mediator to work with the clients’ storytelling
process by being fully present yet not controlling or being judgemental about those stories,
and to work with both their own and the clients’ energy of conflict which is, “the powerful
non-verbal language of their bodies and spirit” (Umbreit, 2005: 1). The use of such non-
verbal language can communicate authenticity, adjust thought differences between
mediation participants and the mediator, which includes the higher values they adhere to,
convey each other’s intentions, and create openness and a non-judgemental atmosphere
(Umbreit, 2005: 4).
Along with this shift in perspective, participants can become more sensitive to others and
develop a new way of communication (Jones, 2009: 151, 159-160). In Jones’s study (2009:
160), participant mediators described the ‘shift’ as:
Something shifts, all of a sudden they see beyond their own little piece of the universe, they begin to understand the connections…they get very comfortable, you can almost hear the sigh. […] You can feel the shift in their energy…. If you don’t get the shift and you move to ways to solve it, that is when things totally break down. They start coming up with methods that are not about resolution.
Based on the voices of her research participants, Jones (2009) discusses how mediators must
work on and improve themselves so that to improve their mediation practice quality
because, “the art of their [mediation] practice is more a matter of being than doing” (Jones,
2009: 150-151).
This precept is also referred to by Mayer and Boness (2011), academics who were based
respectively in the department of organisation at Rhode University, South Africa, and the
department of intercultural practice and conflict management at the University of Göttingen,
Germany but conducted their study in Tanzania. The purpose of their research was “to
provide insights into cross-cultural conflicts and their management in ecclesiastical
organizations in Tanzania” (Mayer and Bones, 2011: 175). Their study found that mediators
offering faith-based mediation considered that they were working between the disputants
as well as between the disputant and God (Mayer and Boness, 2011: 179), thus allowing the
disputing parties to link their issues to “a higher spiritual level and a higher consciousness”
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by using Christian symbols instead of using a structured, rational mediation process (Mayer
and Boness, 2011: 184 and 185). In order to conduct mediation in this manner, faith-based
mediators in this study used a “special connection to God and with their spirituality” (Mayer
and Boness, 2011: 185). The conclusion stresses that mediation as a Christian spiritual
process creates harmony, peace and spiritual fulfilment by using religious symbols, concepts,
metaphors and analogies which are based on their Bible (Mayer and Boness, 2011: 185).
The core practice of mediation is described as “a process of shifting consciousness” because,
“parties develop increasing awareness of their own needs, the needs of others, and ways of
meeting everyone’s needs” (Nan, 2011: 242). When disputants open to an external world
and seek solutions through negotiation which is facilitated by their mediator, their attitudes
will lead to a settlement because they already have begun making such a shift by attending
the mediation session in the first place. Goldberg and Blancke (2012: 463) add that those,
“practitioners believe that the core of their effectiveness is their spirit, and that is what
allows them to create space for extraordinary shifts”. Here, the deep relationship between
the mediator’s mind, intention, or thought and different ‘levels’ and ‘shifts’, that resolve the
issue at stake, is also explicitly highlighted. By writing this article, they try to convey to their
readers that mediation can be “profound, integrated work […]that deeply engages the
spirituality […]in such a way, that, if anything, is more profoundly respectful of party self-
determination than classical mediation” (Goldberg and Blancke, 2012: 464-465).
These authors appear to suggest that mediators who are not spiritually intelligent or who
cannot engage deeply with their clients, may violate or damage their clients’ self-
determination, whether either intentionally or not, by imposing their values onto their
clients’ situations. By contrast, what spiritually intelligent mediators do, regardless of their
faith, is to provide a space for their clients to change the ways of thinking or perceptions
that caused the dispute (Hoffman and Wolman, 2013). In such a space, having a higher
spiritual intelligence allows mediators to know when to reinforce their personal values and
when not to, so that to maximise their clients’ self-determination. As has been outlined in
previous chapters, mediation is about the clients themselves settling their issues with the
attendance of a mediator of their choice; it is not about mediators making a settlement
happen. Goldberg and Blancke (2012) use the term spiritual to inform about and encourage
fellow mediators to use spiritual intelligence in their sessions to achieve a settlement.
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Despite the metaphorical expressions used, this precept has been shared by mediators who
work in different countries. It may be that this is as a result of reading one another’s articles,
but the significant point is that numbers of mediators have expressed their professional
experience by using similar, if not the same, expressions in their publications. As mentioned
in the first precept above, however, this precept is only partially similar to the spirituality
referred to indigenous mediation, where references to a shift to a higher level are not
made.95 In other words, it is only non-indigenous mediators who refer to the notion of height
when discussing spirituality in the mediation context, although this does not mean that
those who offer indigenous mediation do not understand the metaphor.
As discussed with regards to the first precept, what bridges the differences between
indigenous and non-indigenous mediation is a willingness to try to understand each other
(Huber, 1993) and a degree of integration has already taken place (Barnes, 1994; Wolf, 2017).
Even though this precept was generated by Gold (1993 and 2003) and Umbreit (1997 and
2001) to share with the readers, they do not claim that this is something universal for all
dispute resolutions. What should be stressed is that Umbreit (1997 and 2001) clearly states
that the spiritual dimension in the mediation session should not be initiated by the mediator.
By focusing on the similarities between different notions of spirituality in the mediation
sessions, Umbreit (1997 and 2001) acknowledges the differences exhibited among his
various clients.
3.4.6 Such influences tend to occur in a safe or sacred space created by the mediator
Quite naturally, this sixth precept summarises the untested claims of mediators that were
described by the third, fourth and fifth precepts, in a tangible manner: positive influences
that lead to a settlement occur in a safe or sacred space which is created by the mediator.
In mediation sessions where disputing clients discuss their issues with their mediator, there
is an inevitable power imbalance. Roberts and Palmer (2005) suggest that the ultimate
question for the mediator is to what extent this imbalance can or should be rectified. This
95 Although this point beyond the scope of the present thesis, this difference between spiritualities referred to in indigenous and non-indigenous mediation may have something to do with religious influences. For example, according to Kuramochi (2016), a professor at the Department of Cultural Anthropologist of Waseda University in Japan who analysed the art drawings of Heavens and Hells in various religions, many religious drawings and artworks place Heaven somewhere up and Hell somewhere down in their compositions regardless of religion, geographic location or historical time period. However, to make any conclusive claims, a series of field studies is required.
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question, however, is posed only when such imbalances can or should be redressed (see for
instance, Chornenki, 1997). The mediator has to judge the degree to which their mediation
in a specific context crosses lines of stratification or involves gross power imbalances
(Roberts and Palmer, 2005: 132). As Robert (1992) points out, mediation can be ceased
where necessary.
Roberts (1992: 7) argues that mediation, unlike psychotherapy, is grounded in “liberal,
humanist values that justify its use both for” the clients and the mediator (also see Haynes,
1992, for further arguments). In this context, the decision-making as well as the authority
over the decision-making process need to be with the clients as independent, competent
adults. Mediators must respect the self-autonomy of their clients which allows them to act
as reasonable adults based on their competence and capacity (Roberts, 1992). In such
circumstances, the disputants should not feel unsafe. As a general rule, safeguarding all
parties’ interests, including the mediator’s, needs to be considered in each mediation
session. The idea that spirituality involves the creation of a safe, if not sacred, space to allow
the positive influences in the session to bring about a settlement, requires careful analysis.
According to Chupp (1993), conflict transformation only occurs when there is an internal
shift in one’s perceptions, which is inside of the clients.96 This shift can occur in “a safe place
to work at differences”, and, once occurring in one party, this shift influences the other party
(Chupp, 1993: 7). For mediators to provide a ‘safe’ space, they themselves must open up to
and feel comfortable with their pain, inner struggles, values and learnings. This
transformation requires the mediator’s inner centeredness (Chupp, 1993; also, Gold, 1993;
Umbreit, 2001) and this inner centeredness then influences how the mediator creates a safe
space for the clients:
I seek that trusting place with God where I can become vulnerable and share my deepened and darkest side. When God listens, I am re-created. The foundation within me flows and I offer back to God the best of who I am. Restoration comes as God responds with acceptance: “I know who you are and I love you.” In that acceptance I am transformed and enter a new, more trusting relationship with the Creator. (Chupp, 1993:11)
For Chupp (1993:11), this “relationship with God is no longer based on fear of punishment”
because he knows that he would be accepted and understood by his mediator in revealing
96 This was already discussed earlier in this section and Chupp (1993) declared this occurred when, “the creative spiritual energy within each person comes to life” (Chupp, 1993: 6).
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himself if he were the client, just as he accepts and understands his clients. Chupp seems to
draw a parallel between his occupational relationship and experiences with his mediation
clients to the relationship between himself and God. What is safe about mediation held by
Chupp is expressed in his own words. These transformations that occur in disputing clients
as well as in mediators are the key to changing the conflict structure, which Chupp calls
‘shifts’. What distinguishes his mediation from faith-based mediation, or more specifically
pastoral mediation, is, however, the fact that he does not align his practice to Christianity
despite explicit references to Christ, God and the Creator (Chupp, 1993).
Although religious influences may be detected in Chupp’s expressions regarding spirituality
in the context of mediation, the denial of the religious impulse in their mediation practice
only widens the gap between mediation expressed by the terms spiritual or spirituality and
faith-based mediation. In his 2012 publication, Umbreit describes how the so-called shifts
occur in a safe, if not sacred, place. For Umbreit (2012: 1 and 4), mediators need to know
how to walk their own path of life and know the “still point of power within us” through
some form of spiritual practice, that can include meditation, prayer, yoga, Tai Chi and so on.
In a similar vein to Chupp (1993), Umbreit goes on to describe power as something that,
“recognizes that it is in the energy of our communication, particularly through the non-
verbal language of our spirit, that we can offer a sacred space for bearing witness to the
healing power of story” (Umbreit, 2012: 4). His notion of power can also be seen in
indigenous mediation as the spiritual power that is often conferred on the elderly members
of the community who take on a mediator’s role (Shook and Kwan, 1987: 47; Walker, 1999,
2001 and 2001b).
Jones (2009: 151 and 152) also supports the importance of safe, nonlinear mediation
sessions. Mediation in which the mediator creates a holistic, nonlinear and safe space allows
the clients to open up and experience the shifts as a result. The safe mediation space can be
created and held by mediators who engages in practices to reflect own positive energy onto
the mediation practice.
Those voices that emphasise the importance of making an already safe mediation session
even safer are explicitly highlighted by the question posed in the third precept: the issue is
with the being of the mediator rather than with the doing of the mediation. As mentioned
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at the beginning of this precept, references to creating safe spaces in the context of
mediation are not necessarily made in association with notions of spirituality. What
differentiates those who speak of the necessity of the safe space in mediation in relation to
spirituality and others who do not depends on the meaning given to the sacred and whether
it is seen as a common human need. For example, Clark (1993: 47) describes common human
needs as including social bonding and sacred meaning which are to be satisfied only in a
social context and emphasises the importance to consider both needs when mediating
disputes.
When referred to in the context of mediation, the terms spiritual or spirituality are proposed
by its advocates to fulfil the basic principle or needs sought in mediation, yet accentuating
the sacred as a need to be fulfilled more than other common human needs increases the
already broad nature of mediation practice which was identified as lacking consensus of
what spirituality is (Hoffman, 2006). However, even though there is no consensus over the
meaning of the term spirituality or spiritual in the context of mediation, the discussion thus
far made in this section gradually poses a question whether such consensus is any use in the
status quo of mediation context. These terms seem to aid mediators to express an important
component, yet at the same time need not to be used explicitly in order for the mediator to
make a whole of his or her own argument. This analysis is further expanded in the next
precept.
3.4.7 A sense of sacredness in the mediation session is not necessarily an indication that any specific religious doctrine or faith is being applied
As this is the seventh precept and religion, faith and spirituality have already been
articulated at length thus far, this precept is only discussed briefly. Some mediators feel that
there is an element of sacredness or something holy in their mediation sessions and express
such feelings by using the terms spiritual and spirituality. However, such a reference is not
necessarily an indication of their religious belief or faiths applied in their mediation practice
(Zumeta, 1993).
Mediators described the experience as hard to explain, yet stated that something ‘sacred’
and ‘holy’ occurred at the time of solving disputes; in fact, one mediator described it as
bringing “God into the room” (Jones, 2009: 156). While their descriptions did not make
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reference to religious influences, others did openly acknowledge its influence where it was
considered explicit, vital and significant for their practice (Mayer and Boness, 2011). The
notion of sacredness is referred to in indigenous mediation where no explicit influence of
religion is acknowledged (Walker, 2001b). As discussed in the second precept, mediators
who use those terms to describe their views on mediation are, at a time, different from or
the same as faith-based mediators.
The realisation of sacredness reflects these mediators’ sacred meaning which is their non-
discriminatory attitude towards any individual spiritual beliefs (Menkel-Meadow, 2001) that
bring the clients’ consciousness to somewhere higher (Gold, 1997 and 2002; Jones and
Georgakopoulos, 2009: 14; Umbreit, 2012), including but not limited to religious faiths
including gods, divines, deity, goddess and “whatsoever name” in world’s religions (Smith,
2010; see also Gold, 2003: 202). For a matter of convenience, the present thesis tentatively
categorises all of these as ‘Something Great’. Good intentions for settlements bring about a
consciousness shift to a higher level, where mediators feel something sacred and holy. This
then offers an explanation about why ‘god’ should be spelled with two ‘o’s in conflict
resolution practice acknowledging spirituality (Menkel-Meadow, 2001: 1087). The
successful induction of their clients’ sense of Something Great in their mediation sessions
was described as causing this shift to a higher level where Something Great and harmony
exist.
To avoid misunderstanding, the sense of harmony is not limited to mediation which is
described with reference to the terms spiritual or spirituality (Roberts and Palmer, 2005;
Roberts, 1992). The difference is the sense of holiness or sacredness that mediators describe
feeling at the time of the settlement, as a result of the described ‘shift’ occurring. This is
what distinguishes their practice from other mediation, including the transformative model,
although any mediators can ‘nudge’ their clients towards a settlement of the dispute
(Roberts and Palmer, 2005: 67 and 157). However, due to the heavy references to
transformation by those mediators who use spiritual or spirituality to describe what takes
place in the mediation sessions, the next chapter will discuss in more detail the differences
between their mediation practice and the transformative model (Bush and Folger, 1994).
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In order to illustrate mediation described by mediators who refer to the spiritual or
spirituality, the two axes that are used in peacebuilding and religious studies, are helpful. As
discussed in Chapter 2, these two axes do not explain the same phenomena. In this
discussion, of course, only the illustration has been assimilated but not the meanings. To
‘nudge’ clients to settlements in the mediation described by those terms, the relationship
between the mediator and their disputing clients is on a horizontal axis and the relationship
with Something Great is on a vertical one. The higher levels of the vertical line are expressed
as the disputing clients settling the issue at stake; the mediator can feel the upward shift in
their clients and feel a degree of connectedness with their clients who have made this shift
to a higher level. Unlike in faith-based mediation, their sense of Something Great does not
need to be suggested and recognised by the clients at all or to rest upon the same single
faith or belief in the same mediation session.
Thus, each participant can bring their sense of Something Great within themselves, including
the mediator, to the mediation session; the mediator’s role is to help the client to recognise
the difference between what they consider closer to their Something Great, if any, and the
state of conflict in which they are in. However, it is entirely up to their clients to make any
decisions in relation to their conflicting situation including a settlement of the dispute. This
freedom to bring whatever they associate with Something Great, gives the clients a greater
sense of self-determination in settling issues with their opponents with diverse backgrounds.
In such a mediation session where a sense of sacredness together with safety exist, it is
within the clients themselves to redress the power imbalances discussed in the previous
subsection.
In a state of sacred consciousness which people can reach by using activities such as poetry,
prayer and meditation, “our souls are open and we are sensitive to spiritual things. Sacred
consciousness allows us to feel, experience, and know things we cannot access in the secular
mode of consciousness” (Elkins, 1998: 88 by citing Tart, 1972; 1975; James, 1902: 388). The
activities which Elkins (1998) describes using to reach sacred consciousness are matched to
what those mediators recommend should be used to maintain their internal relationship
with their true selves and also to sense their own Something Great (Bowling and Hoffman,
2003; Gold, 1993: 2003; Cloke, 2005; Umbreit, 2005). When the mediator approaches the
spiritual dimension of mediation by using symbols, there are no cultural or faith barriers
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because the communication becomes non-verbal (Fisher, 2000). Whereas Walker (1999,
2001 and 2007) maintains a distinction between the non-indigenous and indigenous peoples’
spiritualities, the analysis so far reveals that there are many commonalities among human
beings when considering spirituality in the context of mediation.
However, in order to feel or experience spirituality in this context, all people involved need
to communicate with one another by using a common language. This commonality in their
spoken language may hinder the commonality of spirituality in the context where each party
does not speak the common language fluently or understand it at all. Fisher’s (2000)
experience with using symbols in mediation highlights how such tools can overcome
communication barriers but also the fact that a settlement happens as a result of reaching
the spiritual dimension, which is expressed as one’s soul.
In a realisation of the importance of constantly accessing what they cannot normally know
in the secular mode of human consciousness through those activities, non-verbal
communication or communication through symbols allow Fisher (2000) to identify the
clients’ souls (see also, Wolf, 2017). Mediators need to maintain sacred consciousness
through self-reflective activities such as moment of silences, prayer, yoga, Tai-chi or
meditation in their daily lives because the mediator needs to be able to feel and recognise
shifts in their clients’ consciousness during the mediation sessions (Gold, 2003; Hoffman and
Wolman, 2013; Jones, 2009; Roche, 2013; Umbreit, 1997; 2012).
The illustration of how the secular state of our consciousness can shift to a sacred state,
describing the process is as follows: “under certain circumstances our consciousness shifts
along a continuum to a point at which it becomes receptive to the “inflow” of supernatural
energies […t]he mind curists effectively demonstrated that mystical states of consciousness
enable us to become continuous with higher metaphysical worlds” (Fuller, 2001: 56-57 citing
James, 1902). In mediation sessions, those who are going through such tragic experiences
are clients, not the mediators. This description by Fuller (2001) of how consciousness shifts
to a sacred state provides supports for what other mediators have stated as happening with
their clients in the mediation sessions (see also, Gold, 2003). However, there is no account
from their clients to support the same. In this sense, the present thesis argues that the
experiences of those mediators whose practice is spiritual and who are attuned to the sacred
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during their mediation sessions should not be equated with mystical experiences. This
discussion, that the states of sacred consciousness in mystical senses are unlikely happening
during any mediation sessions, takes place in the following chapter.
Although Jones (2009) reported that her research observers had been able to judge when
such spiritual moments began during the mediation, the significance of the notion of using
spirituality in the context of mediation would not question whether it is possible to study
empirically or prove that the spiritual dimension increases the probability of successful
outcomes. As in the discussion about the transformative model, the desired outcomes of
mediation, which mostly means settling the dispute, are secondary to any models and
approaches to mediation (Umbreit, 2001). What matters to mediators is the expected
effectiveness of the models applied in leading clients to the desired outcomes. The precepts
discussed thus far raise the question whether mediators who refer to spirituality in the
context of mediation and describe their mediation experiences by using these terms, can be
said to share a model of mediation. Yet according to their own discussions, no mediation
model has been formed to categorise these mediators. This is further discussed in the next
subsection.
3.4.8 When the terms spiritual or spirituality are used by mediators, they do not form a particular mediation model
What has become apparent so far in the discussion of this section is that when mediators
refer to the terms spiritual or spirituality, this is an indication and a description of one
component in their practice. This is why, as each article shows, even when using the same
terms, mediators can and will be conveying something different. Nonetheless, given that
they share those terms as a commonality, this discussion considers whether the practices
described by these mediators can be categorised into one mediation model.
As shown in 3.3 above, Lois Gold and Mark S. Umbreit do not share the same practice model,
even though Umbreit (1997 and 2001) has highly praised Gold’s (1993) healing paradigm.
Furthermore, as shown in his video lecture which was translated in Japanese by Ishihara
(2017b), the terms spiritual or spirituality are not required to explain what he calls the
humanistic model (Umbreit, 1997 and 2001; Lewis and Umbreit, 2015) or humanistic
approach to mediation (Ishihara, 2017b). Similarly, Gold (2003) only uses these terms to
describe the four components of her healing paradigm, not the paradigm itself. Her focus is
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primarily and predominantly on leading her clients to settlements in the mediation sessions
through healing.
Other authors who use those terms do not share a practice model or practice principles. To
name a few, in indigenous mediation, which has been described in terms of spirituality, the
communities mentioned are including, but not limited to, Aboriginal, Canadian First Nation,
Native-American, Native-Hawaiian and Maui. Among those, at least two wheels of
mediation models, which have been explicitly introduced by Huber (1993) and Barnes (1994),
and ho’oponopono, which has been traditionally used in Native-Hawaiian communities
(Goldberg and Blancke, 2012), are now known as an established mediation method. In the
non-indigenous mediation context, these terms are used to explain mediation techniques
(Cloke, 2005; Matthews-Giba, 2000; Saposnek, 1993), tools (Tauscher, 2003 and Nun, 2011)
and approaches (Jones and Georgakopoulos, 2009; Jurevic, 2000; Nan, 2011; Roche, 2012;
Umbreit, 1997 and 2012; and Wolf, 2017). These terms are also described as something
which can be a part of any mediation models (Roche, 2017).
Despite the differences observed between indigenous and non-indigenous mediation,
authors in both mediation contexts use spirituality to describe the nature of mediation as
something beyond mediation techniques, methods or strategies which use rituals, symbols,
or language (Chupp, 1993; Gold, 1993 and 2002; Jones, 2009; Umbreit, 2012). In the context
of mediation where mediation theories are not extended to who mediator is, a shared sense
of the importance or influence of the mediator’s spirituality on the client does not mean a
shared practice model. In other words, the terms spiritual or spirituality refer to a
component that is embedded in being a mediator.
Aside from whether use of those terms equates with a shared model, each author does not
repeat other authors’ accounts to express their independent views and opinions in their
publications. Even on the rare occasion where the authors use the same terms and share
some commonalities, thereby enabling the generation of the precepts discussed in this
chapter (Gold, 1993 and 2002; Umbreit, 1997 and 2001), these publications and the authors
who use those terms, discuss a wide range of topics. The diversity in the overall arguments
in which the terms of spiritual or spirituality appear, is problematic, especially with regards
to the second precept; for some authors, spirituality included religion, for others it did not;
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for some, they overlapped while others used the two terms interchangeably. As a result,
when those terms are used in the context of mediation, the relationship between the two
needs to be clarified.
In summary, when the terms spiritual or spirituality are used frequently in English language
publications on mediation, authors use those terms to put forward very different arguments.
Based on the way that these terms are used, it is not possible to identify a common spiritual
model of mediation. Instead, in the context of mediation, the terms spiritual or spirituality
describe just one component which is a part of a whole. This component is described in
different ways, thereby influencing the specific meaning spirituality has as a component in
each mediator’s practice.
3.5 Remarks and issues arising in the findings of textual analyses
Considering the term spirituality as a symbolic metaphor that expresses our world’s capacity
for transformation and metamorphosis, King (1996) argues that the meaning of the term
spirituality changes depending on who uses the term and points out that its flexibility or
ambiguity allows its users to both reflect on and challenge institutionalised thoughts such as
religions. By analysing articles by mediators in the English language, the present thesis has
explored the spiritual or spirituality as an embedded minor component in describing
mediation practice. Based on the discussions thus far, the subsections that follow summarise
the main points that emerge from the textual analysis.
3.5.1 Identified remarks
3.5.1.1 Spirituality as something to overcome the differences in disputes Not only Gold (1993 and 2003) and Umbreit (1997 and 2001) but also other mediators who
use the terms spiritual or spirituality to describe mediation, seem to view that their inner
self or consciousness contributes to the settling of disputes, by drawing out something
sacred in their mediation clients during the sessions in which a safe space is created.
Settlements of disputes occur when they feel a sense of connectedness, which some
describe as something ‘sacred’ or ‘holy’ happening at the time. Although in indigenous
mediation there is no reference to a shift in consciousness to a higher level and in non-
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indigenous mediation, the ancestors are not called upon in solving disputes, nor the spiritual
power is used by the elders who conduct mediation, the spiritualities of both indigenous and
non-indigenous mediations have become much alike in their definitions. When using those
words to describe mediation practice, however, there are also differences in the meanings
of those words depending on the authors, who each use those through their perspectives
that are based on their mediation and personal experiences.
One commonality among the writers who speak of mediation in relation to spirituality is that
their views are based on their past experiences. Their professional input is based solely on
their retrospective views and are not proactive. While their suggestions contribute to the
development of mediation practices, their accounts do not guarantee that spirituality is
effective in achieving settlements and should be taken only as a way of describing their
mediation practice and mediation experiences albeit their professional inputs are significant
since based on their actual mediation experiences. While all the other articles and
commentaries referred to in this chapter contain the authors’ or participating mediators’
voices regarding their mediation experiences, Roche (2017) is the only author who does not
include either experiences. However, Roche (2017) referred the other articles such as Cloke
(2005), Jones (2009) and Nun (2011) which were written based on the authors’ mediation
experiences. Even in such academic arguments, spirituality is acknowledged to become a
part of any mediation models.
The term spirituality as used by non-indigenous mediators seems to express mediators’
motivation to settle their clients’ issues by shifting the clients’ perceptions or ways of
thinking to a higher level. Such shifts in client perception happen, according to the mediators,
via an inner connectedness between the conflicting parties and their mediator during the
mediation sessions. The quality of the mediator’s relationship with their inner self influences
how the mediator forms interpersonal relationships with other people, including their
clients. However, it is hard to ignore that such an observation on their clients described by
the terms spiritual or spirituality was only from the mediators’ point of views, and not of
their clients who settled their disputes in such a mediation. This point is important to
emphasise as will be discussed further in the following chapter.
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Both Lois Gold and Mark S. Umbreit focus on the similarities rather than the differences
between the indigenous and non-indigenous peoples. It is also noticeable that indigenous
spirituality has been introduced to non-indigenous mediation and that mediators in non-
indigenous mediation draw on the practices and belief systems of indigenous spirituality in
their mediation practice. The access to non-indigenous mediation by indigenous peoples
without restricting their cultures has already been discussed in Chapter 1. In such an
intersected era of multiple spiritualities, the precepts that have been generated based on
Gold (1993 and 2003) and Umbreit (1997 and 2001) highlight that focusing more on
commonalities than on differences leads to settlements and that one component of such
commonalities is expressed by using the term spirituality. When symbols helped to settle
the issues in both non-indigenous and indigenous mediation (Fisher, 2000), such symbols
allow to bridge the differences by focusing on the same, which is spirituality.
3.5.1.2 Spirituality as one component of the whole argument Spirituality is a component, not the whole of their arguments. Each author had their own
purpose for publishing their articles. In order to share their past mediation experiences with
others, they used the term rather symbolically to emphasise its importance in their practice.
Where such symbolisation is not necessary, as it is not a significant component to the
argument, similar claims are made but without using the term. Mark S. Umbreit himself does
not always refer to spirituality when explaining his Humanistic Mediation Model (see for
instance, Ishihara, 2017b).
Because there is a strong nexus between theology and the study of spirituality, 97 the
following definition of spirituality proposed by Wolfteich (2012: 335) encapsulates what
these mediators try to express by using the terms spiritual or spirituality in the context of
mediation: “[s]piritualiy is a life animated by the Spirit of God, practiced with love, holiness,
and justice. It is a life both received through grace and built up over time through the
cultivation of practices in a sustaining community”. Spirituality in both indigenous and non-
indigenous mediation practice seem to share common traits with spirituality identified by
de Souza (2016) making an extensive cross-reference to many disciplines but not including
mediation.98
97 As discussed in Chapter 1. 98de Souza (2016: 346) identified the key traits of contemporary spirituality across multi-disciplines as, “connectedness of self to other people, to the natural world and environment, and to the universe”. She described this spirituality as a part of being human regardless of their religious or non-religious beliefs and not necessarily limited to preserved religiosity.
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However, the present thesis proposes that such attempts to generalise spirituality across
different disciplines merely scrape the surface in terms of how spirituality is actually applied
in each academic discipline. For instance, mediators’ ways of applying their spirituality may
not work in Nursing where ‘spiritual’ care has been practised and developed since ancient
times (Tanyi, 2002: 500).99 In order to understand the meanings of spirituality as it is applied
in one context, the analysis should focus on the particular context rather than attempting to
cross-reference with sources from other academic disciplines.
The cross-references conducted by de Souza (2016) are, however, productive when there is
an already established consensus existing with regards to the meanings of spirituality used
in one context. This was what Horie’s (2019) latest research did to generate the meaning of
transliterated spirituality by cross-referencing both Japanese and English resources
published in psychology and sociology of religions. By analysing Gold (1993 and 2003) and
Umbreit (1997 and 2001) whose references of spirituality were translated into the Japanese
language, this research has focused on the commonalities in the two authors’ publications
to generate the core precepts. Simultaneously, the differences in their arguments have also
been highlighted. Reference to other publications which also use the terms spiritual or
spirituality in the context of mediation has contributed to deeper and more comprehensive
discussion. There were as many similarities as differences among those mediators’
publications. When citing those terms spiritual or spirituality in the context of mediation in
which such an already established consensus does not exist yet, the users of those terms
need to describe what they mean by those terms.
When settlements occur, the mediators referred to in this chapter state that they feel a
connectedness is created between themselves and their clients and a change or shift in their
clients’ perception or consciousness. Their publications appear to be professional dialogues,
sharing such experiences so that their fellow mediators can expand the approach, technique
99 In the field of Nursing, ‘spirituality’ is defined as “a personal search for meaning and purpose in life, which may or may not be related to religion. It entails connection to self-chosen and or religious beliefs, values, and practices that give meaning to life, thereby inspiring and motivating individuals to achieve their optimal being. This connection brings faith, hope, peace, and empowerment. The results are joy, forgiveness of oneself and others, awareness and acceptance of hardship and mortality, a heightened sense of physical and emotional well-being, and the ability to transcend beyond the infirmities of existence” (Tanyi, 2002: 506). This lengthy definition is necessary in Nursing because of the caring relationship between health care practitioners, including nurses and their patients. Surprisingly, de Souza (2016) does not include Nursing or other Health Professions such as hospice or mental health institutions in her analysis. As a result, articles such as Egan et al. (2011) and Tanyi (2002) remain outside her “constructions of spirituality” (de Souza, 2016: vii) although her attempts are important and progressive.
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and quality of mediation that they describe as having a spiritual dimension. Some
incorporate spirituality into their mediation practice models (Barnes, 1994; Huber, 1993;
Umbreit, 1997 and 2012) while others see it as a part of a mediator’s professional quality (to
name a few, Chupp, 1993; Gold, 1993 and 2003; Jones, 2009; Zumeta, 1993 and 2017).
Spirituality in the context of mediation can therefore also be viewed as a part of cultural
practice or embedded in religious faiths (Mayer and Boness, 2011; Matthews-Giba, 2000;
Walker, 2001, 2001b and 2007) or as spiritual ‘intelligence’ (Goldberg and Blancke, 2012), in
other words as part of the mediator’s being.
Taking those points, spirituality is forming a component of each whole argument.
3.5.1.3 Spirituality does not combine mediation with psychotherapy With regards to respecting their clients’ decision-making processes, mediation and
psychotherapy have been described by Gold (1993 and 2003) and Umbreit (1997 and 2002)
as different professions, even though both professions which speak in either English or
Japanese, are now using the same terms spiritual and spirituality (for example, see Walsh,
2009; Ishikawa, 2010; Horie, 2019). The present thesis has discovered through its textual
analysis that, in the context of mediation in which spirituality is referred to, mediator and
client are in equal positions and do not receive each other’s care. Clients retain their self-
autonomy in making their own decisions and mediators respect their clients’ decision-
making processes, while recognising the importance of positively influencing them through
their presence, which was expressed as ‘being’.
To be more specific, Umbreit’s (2001) humanistic mediation, which is grounded in the
paradigm of healing, benefits clients emotionally but the process “is not psychotherapy, nor
does it require a mediator to have training in psychotherapy. Acknowledgment of
brokenness or hurt is intrinsic […but w]orking on that brokenness and dealing with past
emotional issues contributing to these feelings [… are] the domain of therapists, not
mediators” (Umbreit, 2001: 7). Goldberg (2016) also explicitly differentiates mediation from
psychology, without denying the influence of the latter on the former. Mediation clients do
not require psychological treatment for their independent decision-making processes
(Umbreit, 2001). The issues discussed in mediation “are not regarded as symptoms of
psychopathology, nor are the parties regarded as suffering from incapacities that render
therapeutic intervention necessary” (Roberts, 2014: 25). Mediators do not undertake or
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assume a leadership role in mediation sessions either, because, “the supremacy of the
parties’ meanings and decision-making authority” are not and should not be invaded by the
mediator undertaking the session (Roberts, 2014: 25 to 26).
Psychotherapists can deal with people who are emotionally and psychologically unstable as
individuals by having lost control over themselves due to various factors which include
conflict with other people. In therapy, the therapist will expect to not only be involved with
their client’s worldview, but also support and guide them to stand alone in their own
worldview to enable them to face their external world, by taking a leadership role in the
sessions (Roberts, 2014: 26). On some occasions, therapists may need to lead their clients
to a new worldview by defining what their issues are during the session (Roberts, 2014: 25).
In West’s view (2004: 55), such a task is necessary to hold “much good” psychotherapists’
work “in an altered state of consciousness for both client and therapist”.
By contrast, mediators give disputing clients a ‘nudge’ to make the transition to the different
level of worldview which the clients have not yet reached (Roberts and Palmer, 2005: 67).
Although some influences from psychotherapy toward spirituality referred to in the context
of mediation have become apparent in the analysis presented in this thesis (for example,
Gold, 1993 and 2003; Goldberg, 2016; Umbreit, 2001), this should be described as only an
intersection between those two professions and not an overlap. The mediation profession
is somewhere in, “a space bounded by the path of law, psychology, and the various wisdom
traditions” (Hoffman, 2006: 472).
Based on above arguments, mediation analysed in the present thesis is different from
psychotherapy. This point is important to argue the suitability of transliterated spirituality
in the Japanese-speaking mediation context.100
3.5.1.4 Spirituality used in mediation is not commodified Lastly, the applications of spirituality in the context of mediation do not form any particular
model of mediation practice or categorise mediators who draw on spirituality in their
practice into one group. The use of spirituality described in the context of mediation does
not imply any commercialisation or commodification to offer mediation service. This can be
100 As discussed in Chapter 1 and 2, the same term has been widely used to describe therapists’ practice in Japan.
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seen as due to the inherently context bound nature of spirituality. As evident in the second
and third precepts, there is no shared description or professional consensus as to what
exactly the spirituality of mediation is and how it influences on who or how to mediate. This
is a clear indication of the nature of spirituality concerning the context. It does not form the
whole of any argument regarding mediation practice.
A mediator’s spirituality does not suggest building a connection intentionally between the
mediator and the client to achieve a settlement. Hence, references to the terms spiritual or
spirituality do not form a practice model or a category of mediators. Views range from those
who consider this component as a part of the mediator or human being, to those who
incorporate it into their mediation practice as a part of a mediation model (for example,
Umbreit, 1997; Roche, 2017), motivation to practice (Nun, 2011), nature of mediation (Jones,
2009), paradigm (Gold, 1993 and 2003), technique (Cloke, 2005), tool (Fisher, 2000) and so
on. Because it is a noncommodified component or aspect, there is a degree of flexibility in
how each mediator acknowledges, recognises or applies the terms spiritual and spirituality
in their argument.
Umbreit (2001: 6) rightly argues, whether the clients settle their issues is secondary to the
process, not just in mediation that refers to spirituality but in any mediation model. The term
is used to describe what happens in the mediation session although viewed as playing an
important part in achieving a settlement. While Umbreit (1997 and 2001) admitted Carl
Rogers’s client centred therapy established in Humanistic Psychology offers significant
connotations to Humanistic Mediation Model, he does not acknowledge other Humanistic
psychologists such as Gordon Allport, Abraham Maslow, or Analytical psychologists including
Carl J. Jung whose spirituality were discussed as a part of an argument on how privatised
religion being commodified by psychologising spirituality in Carrette and King (2005). The
main difference is now identified by this research as that spirituality used by Lois Gold and
Mark S. Umbreit only forms a part of their main arguments which were described as
paradigm or model of mediation, while the privatised religion expressed by psychologising
spirituality became a commodity (Carrette and King, 2005). Again, to emphasise, Umbreit
(1997 and 2001) clearly denied his mediation model to be confused with Psychotherapy.
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Nonetheless, analysis of mediators’ written debates concerning spirituality has made it
possible to generate some core precepts of the terms used by the two authors, Lois Gold
and Mark S. Umbreit, whose references to spirituality share more commonalities than
differences. The purpose of generating the eight precepts was in order to consider the
suitability of the currently applied Japanese translations in the subsequent chapter.
However, the discussion in this chapter has clarified that such precepts do not represent a
shared description of mediation service or mediator’s practice model but only reflect what
Gold (1993 and 2003) and Umbreit (1997 and 2002) expressed based on their mediation
experiences.
3.5.2 Discovered issues Based on what has been discovered through textual analyses, there seem to be two points
which require further clarification before discussing the precepts in the context of Japanese-
speaking mediation.
3.5.2.1 How exactly is this different from the transformative mediation? The first issue is the difference between what Gold (1993 and 2003) and Umbreit (1997 and
2001) describe when using the terms spiritual and spirituality and Bush and Folger’s (1994)
transformative mediation model. Careful attention must be paid especially to Umbreit’s
(1997 and 2001) accounts of introducing this model as a foundation of his humanistic
mediation model as well as a humanistic approach in Japanese language (Fujioka, 2007;
Ishihara, 2017b).101
The transformative mediation model is widely recognised and used in the Japanese context
(Wada, Ando, and Tanaka, 2015; Wada and Nakanishi, 2016; Wada and Otsuka, 2014;
Science Council of Japan, 2008; Yoshida, 2009). Meanwhile, Umbreit’s (1997) humanistic
model, which was influenced by and in developed parallel to the transformative model
(Lewis and Umbreit, 2015), also described as a humanistic approach (Ishihara, 2017b), was
introduced to Japan by using transliterated spirituality. If those two different models share
the recognition of a transformative aspect, an important element in mediation, the
introduction itself seems to be unnecessary and confusing. Where mediators describe their
mediation using the framework of transformative mediation, the introduction of
transliterated spirituality in the Japanese mediation context is likely to confuse and mislead
101 Please also see Lewis and Umbreit (2015) for their arguments on the differences between these two models.
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Japanese speaking mediators as well as their clients because transformative model does not
apply the terms spiritual or spirituality in its description yet recognises the importance of
transformation during a mediation session to settle the dispute.
Nonetheless, identifying the models that are being applied helps prospective mediation
users to choose a suitable mediator, although specifying the applied mediation model does
not necessarily guarantee that the mediator will adhere to that specific model.102 Spirituality
as a phenomenon in the mediation context can be described without relying on any models
of mediation and indeed, some mediators describe similar experiences without using the
terms spiritual or spirituality. They prefer not to describe their practice by the terms even
when they recognise as such in their practice (Jones, 2009).
Again, a reasonable approach to avoid the confusion would be to inform prospective users
about the nature of their own mediation practice. Mediators who consider their mediation
practice as spiritual are thus expected to apply the terms as a part of the description (Jurevic,
2000). For example, although in the indigenous mediation such as used by Australian
Aboriginal, the First Nation in Canada, Native American, and Native Hawaiian, their
spiritualities are expressed as a part of their mediation processes. The users of each
mediation regardless used in the indigenous or non-indigenous context will be made aware
of the specific approach in which such spirituality is applied.
The same applies to Japanese speaking mediators because of the term’s context-bound
nature and thus, the ambiguous meanings of the Japanese equivalences used by the
translators of Gold and Umbreit’s work. Because the transformative model has already been
used in the Japanese-speaking mediation context, should the mediator wish to share the
notion of using spirituality in the Japanese mediation context, they need to be able to explain
the differences in the shifts described by the term spiritual and spirituality and in the
transformative model. Once shared with the clients, such mediation referring to these terms
will then become a faith-based mediation. Even then, the differences between the
transformation described in the faith-based mediation and the transformative model need
102 For example, Honeyman, Goh and Kelly (2004: 491) reported an instance in Minnesota, USA, in which mediators who had originally been trained by the same organisation in the use of the ‘elicitive’ model, gradually shifted their practice to the ‘evaluative’ model as discussing monetary terms. Whether such a transition was consciously made by the trained mediators or whether their practice preferences changed over time rather unintentionally, is said to be unknown (Honeyman, Goh and Kelly, 2004).
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to be clarified because faith-based mediation can apply transformative model if necessary.
In addition, as Umbreit (2001) claims, issues regarding spirituality need not to be initiated
by a mediator. If this is the case, the notion published as a part of Umbreit’s mediation book
by using transliteration and seishin remains unexplained. The reader can mistake what
Umbreit claims by the terms spiritual or spirituality for a variant of transformative model.
The differences between what mediators describe with those terms and the transformative
model require further analysis by cross-referencing their precepts of their mediation to the
transformative model.103 Without distinguishing those two, prospective Japanese-speaking
users cannot make an informed choice about whether they want to integrate spirituality
into their mediation, and if so, how (Goldberg and Blancke, 2011: 386; Goldberg and Blancke,
2012: 464). Conversely, Japanese mediators remain uncertain of the meanings of the notion
of spirituality as introduced by way of translation in their own profession and cannot judge
whether their practice can be described in those terms. Such confusion interferes with client
self-determination in mediation (Goldberg and Blancke, 2012: 464), and undermines the
trust that is a vital element in creating safe spaces in mediation (Poitras, 2009).
Therefore, the next chapter discusses the similarities and differences between mediation
described by the terms spiritual and spirituality by Gold (1993 and 2003) and Umbreit (1997
and 2001) and the transformative model.
3.5.2.2 Is this an indication of mysticism in the mediation context? The second is the relationship between the spirituality identified in the context of mediation
and mysticism.104 Mediators whose publications have been analysed in this chapter do not
use terms such as ‘mystical’, ‘mysticism’, or ‘mystic’ to describe their mediation practice.
Nun (2011) explicitly distinguishes between the two. However, Gold (1993: 64; 2003: 204
emphasis added) describes the client’s state as “almost trancelike” and due to this
receptivity, a suggestive relationship exists between the mediator and clients. This is her
illustration of her clients in the mediation session in which uses language associated with
the spiritual, what Umbreit (2001) describes as the language of soul. In this regard, Umbreit
(2001) strongly emphasises the importance of non-verbal communication.
103 Cf. Jurevic (2000) and Walker (2001). 104 Please refer Waaijman (2002: 355-357 and 674-687) for the detailed discussions regarding mysticism.
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So, although mystical experiences may be distinct from what is referred to as spiritual in the
context of mediation,105 there are seemingly certain links or resemblances that can be seen
in the language of mediators in their publications. Mysticism, which portrays itself against
the background of spiritual exercises (Waaijman, 2002: 675), is a relational process between
God and human being and, if spirituality is viewed as mysticism, the notion conflicts with
rationality (Waaijman, 2002: 357). If any of the mediators discussed in this chapter were to
experience or exhibit mystic phenomena during a mediation session at all, it would not be
hard to imagine how their clients might have responded. If the mediators only use the terms
spiritual and spirituality in a more contemporary sense, an overlap between spirituality and
mysticism should not be identified. It is therefore important to clarify the distinction
between the two.
3.6 Conclusion The textual analysis presented in this chapter shows that mediators describe the
effectiveness of settling disputes by using the term spirituality as a part of their whole
arguments. What the mediators try to express by these terms largely something to do with
their past experiences. In order to discuss this with their prospective clients, both mediators
and their clients need to understand what those terms mean in the context of mediation.
However, the analysis shows that, because spirituality is only a component of their
mediation experiences or practices as expressed in the English language, it is embedded in
the language of mediation to describe their professional arguments instead of bearing a
shared meaning (Hense, 2011). This discovery indicates that its meaning is very individual
and hard to consolidate as one definite definition applicable to the profession.
By generating core precepts based on the publications by Lois Gold (1993 and 2003) and
Mark S. Umbreit (1997 and 2001), the analysis discovered commonalities as well as
differences across the meanings of the terms spiritual or spirituality which can be supported
by other authors in the context of mediation. This research’s findings in the context of
mediation also appear in line with the view put forward by la Cour, Ausker, and Hvidt (2012).
In the context of mediation, because the meaning of spirituality is user-dependent, it thus
may contain, support or deny institutionalised religions (King, 1996). While generating a
105 This point by Jesper (2011) was raised in Chapter 1.
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commonality of the term spiritual or spirituality across different disciplines is possible (see,
for instance, de Souza, 2016), more disciplines are involved in such attempts, the shallower
the common meaning of the term ‘spirituality’ may become. This point has been shared by
King (1996: 344) who warned that the term spirituality will bear more difficulties as it gets
wider clarification because of its flexibilities or ambiguities in its meaning. This chapter
discovered that the same concerns exist even within the same context, English-speaking
mediation due to the variety of cultures being involved in the context.
Furthermore, by using the terms spiritual and spirituality as one component, they try to
convey their arguments as whole rather than to create something commodified such as a
category of mediation service. What generated as the precepts in this chapter can be shared
with their prospective clients to conduct faith-based mediation; however, Umbreit (2001)
stressed mediators should not initiate the spiritual aspect. Mediators who have written
accounts of what happened during their mediation sessions, simply felt and shared with
others in writing that settlements were achieved in part though the mediator’s own will
power obtained or deepened by awareness of their own inner self.
The notion of using spiritual or spirituality in the context of mediation seems to be shared
with, understood by, emerge and be developed by fellow mediators. Indeed, as Ishikawa
(2010) indicates for the use of transliterate spirituality in psychotherapy, the users of
spirituality in the context of mediation as well seem to do so because they are so passionate
to describe their ineffable, hard to word experiences. When some or all the core precepts
are available in a mediation session, such mediation seems to be described with reference
to the terms spiritual or spirituality. In the subsequent chapters of the present thesis, these
precepts are used to examine whether the notion of spirituality used by Gold (1993 and
2003) and Umbreit (1997 and 2001) is accurately perceived, understood and discussed in
the Japanese language. Although commonalities have been found, it is important not to
overlook differences in their published opinions or views on mediation despite using the
same terms. Overall, the use of the terms spiritual and spirituality is an indication of
something important yet hard to describe existing in the user’s experiences.
Finally, some important points need to be reiterated in the arguments that are developed in
the next chapter. The next chapter addresses two issues. Firstly, it describes the differences
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between the transformative model of mediation and what the mediators describe when
using the terms spiritual or spirituality. Secondly, it discusses whether the mediation
described by those terms are any indication of mysticism.
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4 Some clarifications for the findings of the textual analysis
4.1 Introduction The aim of this chapter is to clarify some of the findings of Chapter 3. The transformative
model and perceptions of spirituality in contrast to mysticism are discussed drawing on the
eight precepts generated from references made to the terms spiritual or spirituality in the
work by Lois Gold (1993 and 2003) and Mark S. Umbreit (1997 and 2001). Thus, this
discussion does not claim to offer any generalisation regarding the references of those terms
in the context of mediation but focuses on the two authors’ claims, although other authors’
publications are used to support their arguments.
Bush and Folger’s (1994) transformative model is widely used in the Japanese-speaking
mediation context. There are strong similarities between the way the two authors describe
their mediation and the transformative model. When the two authors used the terms
spiritual or spirituality in the context of mediation, references were made to shifting clients’
consciousness to the higher level when settling disputes (Gold, 1993 and 2003) and Umbreit
(2005) claimed his model of mediation had developed in parallel to the transformative
mediation. It is therefore unclear in what ways what they are describing is distinctively
different from transformative mediation. This chapter first discusses the similarities and
differences between mediation described by the terms spiritual or spirituality and
transformative mediation.
Secondly, according to Jones (2016), the modern philosopher of mysticism, the state of
mysticism is something directly experienced by the subject him or herself through the visions,
auditions and any other sensory systems. Gold describes her client’s state during mediation
sessions as “almost trancelike” (Gold, 1993: 64 and 2003: 204). What Lois Gold and Mark S.
Umbreit referred in their publication were the state of settlements happened in their
mediation sessions as a result of shifting their consciousness to a higher level.
This description of a moment of settlement, which brings about a long-lasting transformed
state, is very similar to a description of mystical experiences found in Jones (2016), drawing
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on William James (1902). However, Jones (2016) further denied calling the experiences as
trances. In addition, Waaijman (2002) argued that the overlap between mysticism and
spirituality means an indication of being in contradiction of rationality. If the overlap occurs
in mediation, it will undermine the rational basis of the practice. As referred in Chapter 1,
the modern usage of the term spirituality does not always and necessarily mean to be
mysticism of the world’s religions (Jespers, 2011).
Hence, the second discussion is about whether those mediators’ applications of those terms
in the context of mediation is an indication of mysticism. Should it differ, then their usages
of the terms spiritual and spirituality in the context of mediation are categorised as
something modern and contemporary and distinguished from the traditional use of the
terms. This second discussion is particularly important for this research concerning the
Japanese language.106
By clarifying these two points, this chapter aims to further enhance the understanding of
what Lois Gold and Mark S. Umbreit try to convey in their publications by using the terms
spiritual or spirituality.
4.2 Mediation described with the terms spiritual or spirituality and transformative model
For mediators who use the transformative model, disputes have the negative power to
cause self-absorption and self-centredness, which have been described as weaknesses (Bush
and Pope, 2002: 74 and 80). Transformative mediators therefore help their clients move
from weakness to strength by making a shift to responsiveness towards the opposite party
in the dispute, eventually reaching a settlement. Transformative mediation describes such
transformation of their clients occurs as a result of, “the empowerment and recognition
shifts that the parties themselves make” (Bush and Pope, 2002: 82-83). However, while
settlement can be achieved without any intervention from the third party (Bush and Folger,
1994: 106-107; Bush and Pope, 2002: 80), transformation has also been identified as hard
106 As mentioned in Chapter 1, Sakurauchi (1997) translated the English term spiritual as shinpi (神秘). These two Japanese
kanji letters are used as shinpi-shugi (神秘主義) meaning ‘mysticism’.
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for clients to make on their own, thus the need for transformative mediators (Bush and Pope,
2002: 82-83; Bush and Folger, 1994: 99-104, 275-276).
In mediation where applies transformative model, mediators support their clients to come
to their own conclusions and settlements if they wish and do not evaluate their dispute nor
their circumstances in the way that a lawyer or judge does (Bingham, 2012: 358).
Transformative mediators believe that their clients using their mediation service might find
“a better alternative” to negotiation between themselves or submission before a judge in
court (Bush and Pope, 2002: 68-69). The transformative model also respects communication
between the disputing clients, values mediator empowerment of clients, and encourages
clients to recognise their counter parties’ perspectives (Bingham, 2012: 358).107 Clients
expect their mediator to help reverse “the downward spiral and restoring a more humane
quality to their interactions” that was present before coming into conflict with the other
party at least for the period of attending the mediation sessions (Bush and Pope, 2002: 75).
When Gold (1993 and 2003) and Umbreit (1997 and 2001) expressed their views about
mediation, their precepts seem to contain similar elements that are characteristics of the
transformative mediation model. For example, a sense of connectedness between the
mediator and their clients is experienced at the very moment of settlement. The clients’
perceptions are seen as undergoing a transformation because of communication involving
the mediator, which leads to a shift in consciousness to a higher or upper level.
However, certain claims made by those mediators using the terms spiritual or spirituality are
clearly different from the transformative mediation model. Firstly, mediators who use those
terms refer to the importance of the inner self and well-being of a mediator as directly
influencing their relationship with their clients and the relationship between the clients. The
mediator’s inner relationship with the self has an impact on the quality of his or her external
relationships, including with the clients. Secondly, those mediators acknowledge the
influence of their internal perceptions towards their clients’ cases. These points have been
discussed and shared not only by Gold (1993 and 2003) and Umbreit (1997 and 2001) but
also by other mediators, as seen in Chapter 3.
107Please see Walker (2001) and Jurevic (2000) for an example of where spirituality of mediation and the transformative mediation are compared and contrasted, although their arguments did not focus on the Japanese mediation context.
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At the same time, mediators who refer to spirituality show no intention of forming a new
model of mediation and cannot be categorised as a group of mediators because each
mediator has their own opinions and values even though they may refer to the same terms.
As a result, many models can be spiritual, and mediation described as such can be inclusive
of many models (Roche, 2017). Jones (2009) even claims that mediation which is spiritual in
nature is always appropriate in solving a dispute.
While spirituality was identified in indigenous mediation as one element in their practice
(Huber, 1993; Shook and Kwan, 1987; Walker, 2001), some have integrated indigenous
mediation’s spirituality into a practice method so that to use in non-indigenous mediation
(Barnes, 1994; Huber, 1993; Wolf, 2017). As seen in the recent application of ho’oponopono
in the non-indigenous mediation (Goldberg and Blancke, 2011 and 2012), the application
of each spirituality is not limited to a specific mediation context. The meaning of spirituality
used in the context of mediation develops rather flexibly without referring to the previous
articles published in the context (for example, Matthews-Giba, 2000 and Bobrowski, Timor,
and Ronel, 2017). This seems to accelerate the inconsistent meanings of those terms used
in the context of mediation. Simply acknowledging transformation as important in dispute
settlements does not unconditionally make the transformative model spiritual in nature or
vice versa.
Furthermore, it is worth mentioning that some mediators have described similar
phenomenon to some of the precepts of spirituality in the context of mediation but without
using those terms. The most obvious one is Umbreit himself, whose lecture makes no
reference to the spiritual or to spirituality (Ishihara, 2017b). This means that his views not
only exist independently from those terms but that the component expressed by using those
terms can be decodified and embedded into other parts of his whole of argument. In his
case, his humanistic mediation model or approach is the whole, which is certainly a different,
separate model from the transformative mediation model. This illustrates that the
component expressed by the terms spiritual and spirituality in Umbreit’s humanistic
mediation model is not the significant element to distinguish the two models. Not only that,
the component, spirituality, is not even a main point to form the humanistic model since the
model can be described without using the term.
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The next example is Cobb (2001) who published an article in a special edition of the Fordham
Urban Law Journal on law and spiritual value. In this issue, the editors stated that their focus
was on the relationship between religion or moral values and legal methods of solving issues.
In her contribution, Cobb (2001: 1017) shared what she calls a ‘sacred’ dimension to
mediation:
[t]here have been times, during the course of a mediation, […] when I have had the impression that something happens in the room, something that is more important than the agreement that is emerging, that the conflict is itself just a vehicle for the creation of something sacred, something whole, something holy.
Cobb struggles to find words to describe this ineffable aspect of her experience in the
mediation session yet does not apply the terms spiritual and spirituality to describe the
similar experience as Gold (1993 and 2003) and Umbreit (1997 and 2001) who show no
hesitation to select these terms to do so. Cobb (2001) goes on to describe the place in which
such a shift takes place as a ‘sacred space’. Both Gold (1993 and 2003) and Umbreit (1997,
2001 and 2005) also associate the notion of the ‘sacred space’ with spirituality in their
mediation practice. In other words, as seen in what Cobb (2001) described, what described
as spirituality in mediation by Gold (1993 and 2002) and Umbreit (1997 and 2001) can be
expressed without using the terms spiritual or spirituality.
Cobb’s description also highlights some differences between her mediation experience and
the transformative mediation model. While a sense of sacredness or holiness is
acknowledged by other mediators who use the terms spiritual and spirituality (Zumeta,
1993; Menkel-Meadow, 2001; Jones and Georgakopoulos, 2009; and Jones, 2009), they also
make a distinction between the idea of sacredness or holiness providing a ‘safe’ space and
the simple creation of such a space. Thus, while creating a safe space is recognised as
important in transformative mediation (Barsky, 2016: 318), that recognition does not mean
that mediators are being encouraged to acknowledge any sense of holiness or sacredness.
By contrast, for Gold (1993 and 2003), awareness of the sacred, or of other terms associated
with the spiritual, is an important factor in her healing paradigm. In other words, Gold (1993
and 2003) and Umbreit (1997 and 2001) refer to the spiritual or spirituality to emphasise
this sense of sacredness or holiness in their mediation sessions which are a ‘safe’ space as a
result.
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Cobb (2001) also refers to the different levels in mediation. The first level involves working
with the moral frameworks of disputing clients; the second level is to advance the morality
which is the party’s way of dealing with other people. The task of the mediator is then to
reframe the disputing clients’ moral frameworks (Cobb, 2001: 1033). A shift in the disputing
clients’ perceptions occurs and that shift leads to a successful outcome, that is a settlement
(Cobb, 2001: 1032). Davis (1989) describes a successful outcome in mediation as ‘magical’.
By using the term ‘magic’, Cobb (2001: 1018) argues “what we take as “magic” is, in fact, a
set of technical practices that yields shifts in interactional patterns”. Although she does not
make explicit reference to ‘spirituality’, which nonetheless is not the same as ‘magic’, her
descriptions of the shifts in consciousness of the clients and the mediator’s influence in
bringing about that shift through their interaction with the clients, are similar to mediators
who do refer to spirituality.
Nonetheless, the descriptions also appear to be different from the transformative model
because of her use of words such as sacred and holy. The clients may reach an agreement
to settle their issues because of the shift in consciousness or in their moral framework, yet
reaching an agreement in mediation does not necessarily require a shift in the quality of her
clients’ relationship (Cobb, 2001: 1017). Such shifts are due to the constructed “nature of
the reality” which “is dependent upon the nature of the descriptions that “observers” make
of the system”, and, thus, mediators as the “observers” can influence the context of the
issues which are brought to their mediation sessions (Cobb, 2001: 1029).
Because settlements in mediation are possible without such a shift, not all mediation need
to acknowledge described sacredness or holiness, to be spiritual, or to apply transformative
model or any other models making the shifts as a result. Cobb’s account of her experience
as a mediator shows that the precepts discussed in the previous chapter can be expressed
without reference to the terms spiritual or spirituality.
Another example is Moore (2014: 38):
[t]he mediator may focus on his or her energies on changing the psychological barriers to reaching understandings or agreements, or the interactions and relationships shared by multiple disputants, the negotiation process or the procedure being used by one or more people to resolve the dispute, or substantive barriers to
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settlement – lack of informations 108 different interpretations of date, limited acceptable options and so forth.
This extract comes not from a personal account of mediation but from the 4th edition of the
classic mediation textbook originally published in 1986 (Moore, 2014). Although Moore does
not explain further what he means by ‘energies’, there is an acknowledgement, based on his
‘knowledge’ as a mediator that such invisible, yet definite influences are present in
mediation.
What emerges from those examples of Cobb and Moore is that the phenomenon described
by those eight precepts in the previous chapter is partially different from the transformative
model, can be a part of any mediation including the transformative model, and can also be
expressed without using those terms. In other words, there are no clear-cut differences
between mediators who used those terms and those who do not. As demonstrated in Cobb
(2001) and Moore (2014), mediation which are described by the terms spiritual or spirituality
may have already been illustrated by other authors without using such terms, although
identifying such publications seems a huge, if possible at all, task, due to the breadth of the
field of mediation.
Although some authors, including Huber (1993), Barnes (1994) and Umbreit (1997 and 2001),
have attempted to create their own mediation models such as medicine wheel, pacific or
humanistic models, based on their definitions of spirituality, those new models do not
prevent other mediators from using those terms outside of their mediation models. This
component labelled as spirituality is a symbolic tool for them to convey their understanding
of the mediation process. Even then, that does not promise its user an exclusive right to use
the label.
When it does not form that most important part of the argument a mediator is making, then
the component might not be mentioned at all, as seen in Umbreit (Ishihara, 2017b) who in
fact, at a later stage, removed the framework of a practice model from his humanistic model
and, instead, called the same as a ‘humanistic approach’ (Lewis and Umbreit, 2015), Cobb
(2001) or Moore (2014) as discussed above. Such a codification or symbolisation using the
terms spiritual and spirituality is important at least for Lois Gold and Mark S. Umbreit. An
108 The spelling as in original.
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application of transformative model using the shifts to settle the dispute is always being so
labelled because the shift is its main argument and cannot be omitted from the model.
Hence, it is, and will always be, an established practice model proposed by Bush and Folger
(1994).
As discussed at the beginning of this chapter, Japanese scholars of mediation value the work
of Umbreit (2001) and have introduced his mediation model and theory, together with
Gold’s (1993) work into the Japanese-speaking mediation context by translation. The terms
spiritual and spirituality are thus included as only a part of the theories presented by these
mediators. In addition, by arguing the similarities and differences between the
transformative model and what are described by the terms spiritual and spirituality in the
mediation context, this section has reiterated that spirituality can only be a component of
mediation practice regardless of the model, approach or argument.
These points may not be reflected accurately by using transliterated spirituality which is also
used for commodified spirituality such as ‘spiritual’ counselling in Japan. Similar references
to cause a shift in order to settle by using the terms spiritual or spirituality also resemble the
shift acknowledged in the transformative model and confuse the Japanese-speaking
audience as though the terms create a new mediation model because of the existing bias
given by commodified spirituality. It is, thus, hard to deny that the translation did not pay
much attention on these terminologies such as the consequences of using the selected
translation in the Japanese-speaking mediation context.
The next section discusses the differences or similarities between spirituality and mysticism
to ensure that the eight precepts do not appear to contradict of rationality (Waaijman, 2002:
357) and also to discover whether the term spirituality used in the context of mediation is a
modern usage or traditional one (Jespers, 2011).
4.3 Spirituality in the context of mediation and mysticism Spirituality has been described by Nun (2011) as something independent from existing
concepts such as mystical, peak or religious experiences. One participant she interviewed in
her research states:
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When someone asks me my religion my answer is usually, I’m a Jewish Christian Native-American Buddhist with undertones of Sufism. So I have studied in all of those arenas, I have practiced in all of those arenas, I have had what some would call mystical experiences in all of those arenas through all of those languages, you could call them languages or cultures, and they are all basically the same regardless of the differences in their outer forms, the essential teaching is the same: we are one, God is love, it’s about relationships, it’s about unity, it’s about interdependence, it’s about mutual responsibility… you could translate it into very concise ethical, moral, behavioral norms. (Nun, 2011: 54)
Because psychologised spirituality and mysticism have been seen as part of an emerging
‘New Age’ spirituality market, as well as one example of the silent take over by religion
(Carrette and King, 2005), it is important to analyse whether spirituality used by Lois Gold
and Mark S. Umbreit in the context of mediation is an indication of mysticism.
William James (1902) is often cited by Japanese authors articulating mysticism in modern
Japan. This is because when mystical consciousness is discussed, the analyses of Western
and Japanese philosophers are made based solely on their arguments rather than based on
their cultural origins such as comparing cultural backgrounds (Roy, 2013; Ueda, 2008). When
mystical consciousness is discussed, the writers’ arguments are made based on certain
philosophical or religious doctrines rather than the views that are dominant in the place or
country in which they are geographically based (Roy, 2013).109
This explains the reason Numata (1998) cites James to discuss mysticism in the Japanese
academic context when concerning the function of religion in the society. Since the notion
using spirituality in mediation has already been in the Japanese-speaking mediation context
and the audience acknowledges mysticism described by citing James (1902), to begin with
the analyses of this section firstly based on Western philosophers should justify the situation
in the Japanese-speaking mediation context.
James (1902: 329-330) defined mystical experiences as having four elements, which are
ineffability, noetic quality, transiency and passivity. In further explanations of those terms,
he (1902: 330) states that mystical experiences are such that the feeling or situation must
109 In Roy (2013), the comparisons were made between the views of Plotinus, Eckhart, Bohme, Schelling, and Heidegger in addition to Nishitani Keiji’s interpretations of those regarding nothingness. However, those comparisons were not made based on where they were from but how they viewed nothingness. Roy (2003: 158) disagrees with Nishitani’s opinions on Plotinus simply because his views were different from Nishitani’s but not because Nishitani was a Japanese thinker; Roy (2003) certainly acknowledged the influence of Zen wisdom on Japanese scholars such as Nishitani, Hisamatsu Shin’ichi, and Daisetz Suzuki.
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be personally experienced to understand, as it cannot be transferred to other people unless
they directly experience it. Once one experiences it, it remains with the individual as
knowledge, although the experience itself is transient.
If his definition stopped with the first three points, spirituality in the context of mediation as
generated in Chapter 3 might well overlap with his definition of mystical experiences.
However, the last element he identified describes what might happen to the individual
during the mystical experience. James (1902:331) wrote, “when the characteristic sort of
consciousness once has set in, the mystic feels as if his own will were in abeyance, and
indeed sometimes as if he were grasped and held by a superior power. This latter peculiarity
connects mystical states with certain definite phenomena of secondary or alternative
personality, such as prophetic speech, automatic writing, or the mediumistic trance”. During
mediation sessions, mediators stay in charge. No mediator in Chapter 3 has described any
of the “mystical states” that James mentions occurred to them.
Evelyn Underhill (2009/1911), whose work may now be described as a classic yet still
remains relevant (Sheldrake, 2011: 32), offers her definition of mysticism as, “[a]ll those so
called “hallucinations of the senses” which appear in the history of mysticism must, then, be
considered soberly, frankly, and without prejudice in the course of our inquiry into the
psychology of man’s quest of the Real” (Underhill, 2009/1911: page 200). Mysticism is, “the
expression of the innate tendency of the human spirit towards complete harmony with the
transcendental order; whether be the theological formula under which that order is
understood. This tendency, in great mystics, gradually captures the whole field of
consciousness” (Underhill, 2009/1911: location 196). In her view, mysticism is different from
psychology, metaphysics, occult philosophy or psychic phenomena (Underhill, 2009/1911:
location 172).
Underhill’s definition of mysticism also appears different from what mediators describe as
spirituality based on their experiences. Some of those mediators whose articles were
analysed in Chapter 3 only claimed that they felt a shift to a higher level in consciousness.
Although their feelings of relating to their clients through their consciousness may indeed
be concerned with the field of consciousness, moments of feeling connected with their
clients do not appear to be ‘hallucinations’. Their account of ‘feeling’ connected to their
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clients at the moment of settling the issues is their dialogue of the past experiences labelled
as spirituality.
However, are their experiences described by the terms spiritual or spirituality also
something akin to more contemporary mysticism which are outlined as follows? In a survey
conducted in the USA to observe what people’s ‘mystical’ experiences were like, Greeley
and McCready (1975) found that for 55% of respondents it was a feeling of deep and
profound peace; 48% described the certainty that all things would work out for the good;
43% defined it as a sense of a personal need to contribute to others, a conviction that love
is at the centre of everything, and as a sense of joy and laughter; 39% described it as an
experience of great emotional intensity; and 32% spoke of a mystical experience as a great
increase in their understanding and knowledge (Greeley and McCready, 1975: 25).
What amounts to mystical experiences have also been discussed in studies that attempt to
identify it with symptoms of psychopathology. 110 Those who report experiencing the
paranormal, including mystical experiences such as being bathed in light (Greeley, 1987a,
1987b, and 1991), “are, for the most part, ordinary Americans, somewhat above the norm
in education and intelligence and somewhat less than average in religious involvement”
(Greeley, 1987a: 8). Greeley (1987b) also conducted a psychological test on people who had
had mystical experiences using the Affect Balance Scale of psychological well-being to find
that they achieved top scores. Mediators may well fall in these groups of people.
However, the 1975 survey by Greeley and McCready (1975) asked the participants who
claimed to have had mystical experiences to check the closest descriptions given in the
survey for their self-declared mystical experiences. Greeley and McCready (1975: 15) were
interested in what population of the USA had experienced mystical experiences in addition
to what the experiences were like; this remained the same for the 1987 poll. In other words,
the surveys asked leading questions to its participants who possess a certain level of
knowledge and intellectual abilities.
110 See for instance, Caird (1987), Castro, Burrows, and Wooffitt (2014), Greeley (1975), Greeley and McCready (1975), and Leslie, et al. (2015).
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Then, one may start wondering whether and how the source used to generate those
questions managed to eliminate the researcher’s reflexivity. Because of such difficulties in
formulating questions to define contemporary mysticism for the survey or interviews, which
Greeley and McCready (1975) bluntly admitted in forming their survey questions, it is still
wise to yield defining modern mysticism to contemporary philosophers since their
arguments together with above discussed those traditional ones contribute to the modern
understanding of what mystical experiences are like.
Similar to Underhill (2009/1911), Kakar (1991: 23-24) also supported a clear division
between mysticism and hallucinations and suggested that the religious term ‘vision’ should
be used to describe mystical experiences, although the central common feature of mysticism
and religious vision was noted as “the intense affect they generate, an affect that endows
them with their characteristic sense of noesis” (Kakar, 1991: 24). Simply put, the mediators
cited in Chapter 3 express how they felt as mediator during a mediation session and one can
easily imagine their feeling of being connected is, in a literal sense, feeling united with their
clients through looking at the issue together and having a shared goal which is to settle the
dispute.
More recently, Jones (2016) has discussed more current interpretations of mysticism,
drawing on Otto (1932) and Stace (1960). Mystical experiences can be defined as something
that people whose views are restricted to the material world have not experienced before
and can be viewed as consisting of two dimensions: extrovertive and introvertive. The
former is a sense of unity with the One perceived in an external world of oneself while the
latter feels it as an inner subjectivity in all things including oneself (Jones, 2016: 6). Some
commonalities of both types of mystical experiences are illustrated such as to reduce the
ego-self; not to feel time; to focus on one’s own consciousness; not to be able to express
what is happening or has happened; to feel peace; to have positive feelings and no negative
ones; to cognitively have touched definite reality and reached the fundamental nature of
oneself (Jones, 2016: 6 by referring to Hood, 2002 and 2005).
Comparing these definitions of mysticism, one can see some connection with the
experiences described by mediators themselves. The ineffability of what they have
experienced, the reduction in if not total loss of own ego-self, and an insight of fundamental
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reality, may have some resemblance to what mediators describe when using the terms
spiritual or spirituality. However, mystical experiences are shaped by the experiencer’s
experiences, not the observers. What is described as spiritual or spirituality in Chapter 3 is
based on accounts by mediators including Lois Gold and Mark S Umbreit in their roles as
mediators, witnessing the settlement of disputes as a result of shifts in consciousness. In
order to conclude that these are therefore mystical experiences, their clients who attended
the sessions would need to claim the same phenomena independently. Such views were not
apparent in the publications by not only Gold (1993 and 2003) and Umbreit (1997 and 2001)
but also any other authors referred the terms spiritual and spirituality in their mediation
articles.
In addition, Jones (2016) describes how the purpose of being mystical is, “to correct the way
we live by overcoming our basic misconception of what is in fact real and thereby
experiencing reality as it truly is, as best humanly possible” (Jones, 2016: 7 emphasis in the
original). This point further differentiates mysticism and spirituality in mediation. In
mysticism, the purpose is to pursue a mystical way of living. The majority of the authors
analysed in Chapter 3 describe their mediation experiences as spiritual in nature yet the
focus in the mediation session is solely on the clients trying to settle their issues, not the
mediators pursuing a spiritual way of living through their work. It is the clients who may
need to change or shift their consciousness so that to transform the way they see their issues
by discussing with the other parties in the dispute to reach a settlement. Although Jones
(2016) described mystical experiences as involving a shift to another level to transform the
state of the person for a long-lasting effect, no clients’ accounts of what happened are cited
by any authors who use the term spiritual or spirituality in their mediation publication. In
using those terms, they refer only to their perception of the client’s process as a mediator;
their wordings published do not come from their clients.
Although Gold’s (1993: 64; 2003: 204) subjective account regarding the ‘almost trancelike’
state of her clients during her mediation sessions may resemble mystical, such a state of
trance cannot be defined as a mystical experience (Jones, 2016). When struggling with
issues in one’s life such as disputes, clients in mediation may have minor mystical
experiences, which can occur in one’s personal life, not necessarily as ecstatic rapture but
as a feeling of being at one with ‘God’ at a deep level of faith (Kakar, 2007). Even so, such
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account still needs to be from the clients not their mediators because, again, those who
experience such life struggles and issues are the clients, not their mediators.
Finally, if their description using the terms spiritual or spirituality does not fall the definition
of mysticism, then would it be a ‘psi’ experience? According to Radin (2009: 314), directly
experiencing such an interconnectedness described by Gold (2003 and 1993) and Umbreit
(1997 and 2001) can be either a mystical experience or a ‘psi’ experience. ‘Psi’ experiences
are defined as like the attention paid by mothers to their babies, “even when her conscious
mind is asleep […] regardless of where the people or events happen to be. If something
important happens to those people, especially life-threatening events, the interconnected
part of us “recognizes” that this is useful information and brings it to our awareness” (Radin,
2009: 314).
The mediation experiences described in Chapter 3 seem not to match this description of ‘psi’,
either. Mediation relationships between mediators and their clients clearly do not involve
life-threatening events, even if a mediator develops a deep emotionally connected
relationship with their clients. What they state is simply how they as mediators have felt
when reaching a settlement, by using a metaphoric description of a shift in consciousness to
a higher level (Gold, 1993 and 2003; Umbreit, 1997 and 2001). To put it more simply, these
are descriptions of how they felt and not an empirical claim of an actual phenomenon that
occurred in their clients. Those mediators’ descriptions using the terms spiritual or
spirituality thus do not fall either of Radin’s binary category of being mystical or psi
experience; hence, their references to those terms are clarified as no indication of mysticism
at all.
The question as to whether Gold’s and Umbreit’s accounts of their experiences as mediators
can be seen as mystical experiences had to be addressed because an author’s philosophical
or religious doctrine will have considerable influence on their mystical consciousness (Roy,
2003). If the mystical consciousness embedded in those mediators’ voices needed to be
discussed in the context of Japanese-speaking mediation, the influence of Zen cannot be
ignored, especially where mysticism is equated with the ‘emptied’ mind’ (Jones, 2016; Kakar,
1991; Roy, 2003). In Zen, such an emptied mind is described as a switch from a
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conceptualising mind to a non- conceptualising mind (Jones, 2016), which has very different
implications when applied to the mediation context.
However, even though there is a degree of overlap between the experience the two authors
describe and experiences referred to as mystical, the spirituality they refer to cannot be
equated with the mystical because their accounts do not represent the experience of their
clients. As Jones (2016) has argued, non-mystical experiences can also bring about
transformative and the long-lasting effects in individuals, and the phenomena witnessed by
these two authors fall into this category. Therefore, the discussion in this section concludes
the terms spiritual and spirituality used by mediators, especially by Lois Gold and Mark S.
Umbreit, are a rather contemporary usage which is distanced from mysticism of the world’s
religions (Jespers, 2011).
4.4 Conclusion This chapter has discussed two issues. The first is the differences between the generated
eight precepts and the transformative mediation model. The second is to consider whether
the eight precepts generated from Gold’s and Umbreit’s descriptions of their mediation
practices can be seen as mystical experiences. Although similar wordings are used, these
experiences which are described by using the terms spiritual and spirituality, are different
both from transformative mediation and from what are defined as mystical experiences.
More precisely, the transformative model does not claim that the inner wellbeing of a
mediator influences the mediation outcomes through non-semantic communication during
the mediation sessions. On the other hand, the transformative model does recognise the
importance of a safe space and of the mediator helping their clients to transform during the
sessions. However, mediators who explicitly make reference to spirituality tend to describe
the safe space as sacred or holy. At the same time, based on the comparison, the analysis
also found that mediators who did not use those terms, nonetheless had similar
recollections and inputs.
This finding leads to the conclusion that the selection of those terms to describe their
mediation practice is rooted in each mediator’s professional or personal preferences.
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References to the spiritual or spirituality should be considered as a symbolisation of their
claims, symbolisation that allows the mediators to emphasise the important aspects of their
argument. However, due to the ineffable, fluid nature of those terms, each argument varies,
even though they may use the same terms and conversely, it is possible to express similar
experiences without using those terms.
Furthermore, the similarities in the use of words such as ‘being’ ‘oneness’ or ‘connectedness’
are evident between references to spirituality in Gold (1993 and 2003) and Umbreit (1997
and 2001) described by the terms spiritual and definitions of mystical experiences as
described in the literature. This chapter has emphasised that what Gold and Umbreit
describe in their articles are their own experiences of mediation and not those of their clients.
Although the mediators themselves may see these similarities, mystical experiences need to
be described by the experiencer of the transformation as a result of the indicated shift. In
the context of the present thesis, the experiencer is not the mediator but the clients who
are attempting to reach a settlement. What the two authors describe as a mediator by using
the terms spiritual and spirituality does not appear to be an indication of mysticism and
therefore, can be seen as rational. Finally, their usages of the terms should be considered as
modern and distanced from the mysticism of the world’s religions.
With regards to whether spirituality means a contribution to the mediation practice held in
the Japanese language or merely creates controversy to the context, it cannot be assumed
at this point of arguments which the notion has only been considered in the English-speaking
mediation context. This is especially so, as shown in this chapter, what labelled as ‘spiritual’
or ‘spirituality’ in the English-mediation context can be described without being codified by
these terms. What these terms describe do not form one independent mediation model or
group mediators into one despite the impact and complication these terms bear in the
context. This has been discussed in Chapter 2.
In order to understand the consequences of introducing the notion expressed by those
terms to the context of Japanese-speaking mediation, the subsequent chapters closely
analyse the Japanese-speaking mediation context. More specifically, Chapter 5 will
articulate the development of mediation in Japan as well as the expectations the Japanese-
speaking mediation users bring to mediation. Such an overview will allow Chapter 6 to
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analyse the impact of the introduction of the notion to the context and the suitability of the
currently applied translations In other words, transliterated spirituality, one of the applied
translations for the English terms spiritual or spirituality in the context of mediation, cannot
be understood without an understanding of the historical and social context in which it is
used (Hirano, 2015; Horie, 2015).
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5 Has Japan’s mediation ever been ‘spiritual’?
5.1 Introduction By reviewing the development of mediation up to and including the consequences of the
recent enforcement of the Act on Promotion of Use of Alternative Dispute Resolution 2004
(the ‘ADR Act 2004’) and discussing the users’ expectations when seeking mediation in Japan,
this chapter addresses whether Japan’s mediation has ever been ‘spiritual’.111 This is the
fourth objective identified in Chapter 1. This chapter also expects to uncover whether no
evident increase in the numbers of people using mediation posited by the Japan ADR
Association (2018: 3) has anything to do with introducing the notion of using spirituality to
the Japanese-speaking mediation context.
Forms of mediation have been used in Japan since early as A.D. 894 (Callister and Wall, 1997:
313; Kakiuchi, 2015; Yanase, 2013: 40-44). However, the notion of using spirituality in the
context of mediation was first introduced to Japan’s mediation context in 2007 by translating
the English term spirituality either with seishin or transliterated spirituality (Fujioka, 2007;
Kumamoto Jinzai Shinbun, 2012). Chapter 2 already discussed the issues concerning these
applied translations.
Both are possibly unsuitable or at least problematic as translated equivalents of the English
term spirituality if the term has intersected with Japan’s mediation development earlier than
2007. Although in a public lecture, Ishihara used transliterated spirituality (Kumamoto Jinzai
Shinbun, 2012), her reasons for choosing this translation were not clarified. Likewise, Fujioka
(2007) in her translation on mediation published five years before Ishihara’s public lecture,
does not give any explanation why she chose either seishin or transliterated spirituality to
translate spirituality in the mediation context. As a result, their translations have caused
confusion in the Japanese-speaking mediation context and hindered its development; yet
one may recall the discussions in Chapter 3 and 4 that the same or similar phenomena can
be described without using the terms spiritual or spirituality.
111 Haley (1994: 17) reiterated the importance of the review because “[o]ne cannot understand the present without an appreciation of the past and the role of present perceptions of that past. To appreciate the historical dynamics of [the issue] is vital both to comprehend more fully the present as well as to predict more accurately the future”.
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Bearing those points, the first section in this chapter examines whether mediation in Japan
has been discussed with reference to the precepts presented in Chapter 3. It aims to
establish whether mediation practice has ever been spiritual in the sense that Gold and
Umbreit use the term in their work. If the same or a similar notion has developed and been
used in Japan’s mediation context, the following section discusses the consequences of such
an introduction by using the transliterated term, which would generate more controversies
than contributions to the development of mediation practice in Japan. If there is no
intersection with those precepts, then the expectations in Japan’s mediation should be in
place so as to identify whether or how those precepts fulfil those expectations.
The findings presented in this thesis so far have laid the foundations that make it possible to
examine the suitability of the currently applied translations for the terms spiritual or
spirituality. This chapter’s findings together with the foundations will enable the latter
chapters to identify and discuss the contributions and controversies brought about by
applying spirituality to the Japanese-speaking mediation context.
5.2 Development of mediation in Japan up to the ADR Act 2004
Mediation has long been used in Japan even before the country established the foundation
of the judicial system that is currently in place. The service has not been referred to using
the same terminology. Using transliterated mediation to identify the private mediation
available in Japan’s ADR is only a recent development. In reviewing the development of
mediation in Japan, Callister and Wall (1997) use two categories: formal or informal dispute
resolution.
However, the complexity of the development of mediation development in Japan is better
illustrated by using Baum’s (2013) approach, which is to divide its development into several
historical periods. 112 By paying more attention to the mediation practices that have
developed in contemporary Japan, this section aims to observe whether similar notions to
112 As Yamamoto (HoC, 2004b) pointed out, Japan and the USA’s mediation development and social circumstances are significantly different and thus, Japan’s ADR development cannot and should not be discussed by using the same three-tier framework which are formal, informal and semi-formal justice systems as suggested for the USA’s mediation practice by Menkel-Meadow (2013).
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the eight precepts have ever been part of its development and, if discovered no such an
evidence, also establishes the background for the next section which discusses people’s
expectations when using a mediation service.
5.2.1 From 604 AD up to and including the Edo period113 The promulgation of the Seventeen-Article Constitution by Prince Shōtoku in 604,
emphasised by Article 1 of the constitution, states that wa,114 harmony, must be valued and
respected (Prince Toneri, 720; Okano, 2003).115 Mediation has been used in Japan on an ad
hoc basis and was used before its court system was established, serving and preserving the
value of extrajudicial justice rather than being an alternative to adjudication (Callister and
Wall, 1997: 313). Between 1336 to 1603, the Muromachi and Azuchimomoyama periods,116
priests appeared to act as intermediaries (Callister and Wall, 1997: 313). However, there is
no evidence after this period that third-party mediators have always been religious leaders;
especially in the Edo period, the government soon started using a system called naisai. 117
In the Edo period, from 1603-1868, people’s movements were restricted socially and
geographically. The Tokugawa shogunate, which is described as having, “fostered the
antilitigious118 sentiments […] through the widespread adoption of Confucianism and the
doctrine of wa” (Hahn, 1983: 517; Uchtmann, Blessen, and Maloney, 1987: 351), 119 village
elders or respected individuals within local communities acted to settle disputes between
community members. This practice is naisai which means the equivalent of ‘trials’ in modern
Japan (Baum, 2013: 1015; Tanaka, 2000: 106-107).
Naisai were held without using codified legislation but involved the government intervening
in the dispute to harmonise the situation (Tanaka, 2000: 107). Their ‘justice’ was delivered
flexibly by weighing up the involved individuals’ benefits and community advantages
(Tanaka, 2000: 107). The overall aim of naisai was to settle and re-establish harmonious
relationships between all of those involved. This took place in a rather flexible society that
113 The Japanese translation of Edo is 江戸. The Edo period was from 1603 to 1868. 114 The Japanese translation is 和. 115 This constitution influenced people throughout the Edo period until the Meiji era began in 1868, which was soon after Japan opened its trade markets to other countries by ending the policy of seclusion. 116 The Muromashi (室町) period was from 1336 to 1573, and Azuchimomoyama (安土桃山) from 1573 to 1603. 117The Japanese translation of Naisai is 内済. 118 As appears in the original text. 119 However, this notion of respecting wa had already been in the country since 604 when Prince Shōtoku promulgated the Seventeen-Article Constitution. This will be further discussed in the subsequent section.
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did not have a set of rules equivalent to legislation. In place of legislation, there existed
unspoken rules of respecting emotional stability and harmony; this was its social foundation
(Tanaka, 2000: 107).
From the end of the Edo to the beginning of the Meiji period120 was a transitionary period.
Alongside continued and strong respect for social harmony in the courts of shogunate, a
judicial system began to be developed in Japan (Baume, 2013:1013-2015; Callister and Wall:
312-313; Uchtmann, Blessen, and Maloney, 1987: 351). Its legal systems, including its Diet,
municipalities, counties and prefectures, its laws, including the Constitution and its legal
system were all developed during this time (Sumioka, 1992: 4).
During this period, Japan’s court systems continued to develop yet still accommodated a
traditional approach which is to respect wa in society by enacting Kankai Ryakusoku in
1884.121 Under this ‘legislation’-like order (Hahn, 1983: 519), judges were granted the role
of conciliator in dispute proceedings brought before the courts. Kankai had its roots in and
took over from the system set up under naisai (Eto, 1993). Even then, people who insisted
on their entitlements and fairness in their communities, were considered as violating and
threatening community harmony even though they did not bring what is called litigation in
modern Japan (Tanaka, 2000: 107). They were as a consequence oppressed by using various
social pressures, including murahachibu,122 ‘community ostracism’ (Lebra, 1976: 36).
5.2.2 From Meiji up to the Enactment of the ADR Act in 2004 In the Meiji period, Japan established a legal system that was heavily reliant on European
law such as French and German law (Hahn, 1983: 519-521; Ishikawa, 1995: 122; Suami, 2013:
251; Tanaka, 2000: 109-110).123 As Japan’s legal system began to function, the central
government simultaneously established more concrete roles for its self. At the same time,
extrajudicial mediation practices became increasingly voluntary and more informal in nature.
When people brought their issues to a third party, the third party might still be a community
120 The Meiji (明治) period from 1868 to 1912. 121 The Japanese translation of Kankai Ryakusoku is 勧解略則 122 The Japanese translation is 村八分. 123 Although this is still important to acknowledge, further discussions on the influences played by other judicial systems would be outside of the scope of the present thesis. Even though there were some influences from other countries when setting up Japan’s legal system including codification of law, such would not change much or give points to the core argument of the present thesis, which seeks any intersection between spirituality and the development of mediation. In addition, establishing which countries most influenced Japan’s legal development can be a subject for another thesis.
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member who was in a position of trust. They did not intervene for money but acted simply
out of good will for fellow friends, colleagues or their community.
Kankai Ryakusoku was eventually abolished in 1891 by an enactment of Minji Soshōho (Act
No. 109 of 1996 as amended),124 the Code of Civil Procedure. Despite this enactment,
chōtei,125 a court-connected mediation being considered to have integrated kankai, was
continued to be in use. Although the justice system was fully developed, the system of naisai,
which was founded in the Edo period and was succeeded by kankai in the Meiji period, was
commonly used even after changing its name to chōtei (Tanaka, 2000: 105-106 and 2006).
Due to the strong respect and intention to maintain wa, which had been appreciated the
most throughout those periods, chōtei remained an important alternative to litigation
alongside the established legal system of the country (Callister and Wall, 1997; Tanaka,
2000: 110).
As a consequence, people privately and voluntarily settled their disputes instead of asking
judges to make decisions on them (Baum, 2013; Tanaka, 2000: 105-106). Even in courts,
judges were and still are, authorised to suggest conciliation before or during the litigation
process under Article 89 of the Code of Civil Procedure (Act No. 109 of 1996); the court itself
still undertakes mediatory roles (Goodman, 2001: 786-787; Tanaka, 2000: 140-141). As
Japan’s litigation works as ‘a forum for negotiation’ (Goodman, 2001),126 arbitration and
other ADR methods are frequently used in place of litigation and this is described as a residue
of the non-litigious tendencies evident during or before the Meiji period when naisai and
kankai were preferred to litigation (Oda,1999: 80).
Since 1947, when Family Courts were first established, chōtei has been a mandatory
procedure prior to starting a litigation process in relation to family issues, according to Art
257 of the Domestic Relations Case Procedure Act (Act No. 52 of 2011). When such
compulsory chōtei fails, they can proceed with litigation. Chōtei in civil matters is not a
124 The Japanese translation of Minji Soshōho is 民事訴訟法. Minji Soshōho is still binding legislation in Japan today, with
several amendments made since, and does not include a pre-claim conciliation procedure for civil litigation. 125 The Japanese translation is 調停. 126 See the use of ‘litigotiation’ in the USA (Galanter, 1984). Litigotiation is, "the stratergic pursuit of a settlement through mobilizing the court process" by placing the courts, which give the disputing parties bargaining chips or counters, in the central (Galanter, 1984: 268-269). Such may be rare in the adjudication systems in the UK or Germany (Roberts and Palmer, 2005: 315).
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prerequisite under the Code of Civil Procedure (Act No. 109 of 1996) to starting a litigation
process, although it has been used since 1922 (Kakiuchi, 2015: 370; Irie, 2010: 79).
For both family and civil litigation procedures, chōtei personnel are selected and auto-
assigned by courts under the Rules for Civil Chōtei and Family Affairs Chōtei Personnel,
established and enforced by the Supreme Court of Japan (Graham, 1993, 1112; Roberts and
Palmer, 2005: 315-316).127 In this sense, both conciliations suggested by courts and chōtei
may be considered as a pre-step of litigation. However, the important point is that in chōtei,
the ‘mediators’ are not selected by the disputants. The disputants may be randomly assigned
any mediators, regardless of their practice ethos; the introduction of the notion of
spirituality to mediation practice can and may have two extreme effects, both positive and
negative, in such a scheme.128
In the period from Meiji to the present, Japan began dealing with one of its societal issues:
organised crime groups also known as Bōryokudan or Yakuza. 129The restriction was imposed
by the system to confine Yakuza’s activities due to the fact that their intervening activities
in dispute resolution were not always carried out conscientiously and often involved
violence or threats, in order to maintain income (Hill, 2003: 94; Sumioka: 1992). Despite the
legal restriction on the involvement of organised crime groups in disputes, such groups still
exist and try to engage in prohibited, mediatory interventions by using borderline illegal
methods, including threats of violence and repeated visits and numerous phone calls to
cause a nuisance (Sumioka, 1992: 8-12; Tanaka, 2000: 107). Their now illegal mediatory
interventions have most commonly been used for traffic accidents, which involve two or
more vehicles driven by ordinary citizens, debt collection, including corporate and personal
bankruptcy, and the land-sharking business, jiage (Sumioka, 1992: 12-14; Hill, 2003: 92-
136).130
To prevent the involvement of such groups, which have significantly increased since the
1970s, the time of the ‘Japanese economic miracle’ (Sumioka, 1992), the Diet enacted the
127 Such ‘mediation’ may be, “not only inefficacy, it is a contradiction in terms” (Meyer, 1960: 161) in addition to losing “its defining characteristics” as mediation (Ingleby, 1993: 443, 445-449). 128 This point must be discussed in the section 5.3 in which people’s expectations for mediation are analysed. 129 The Japanese translation of Bōryokudan is 暴力団, yakuza is ヤクザ. Both are categorised as organised crime groups. 130 The Japanese translation of Jiage is 地上げ.
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Act to Prevent Unjust Acts by Organized Crime Group Members (Act No. 77 of 1991).131 By
Articles 7 and 19 of this Act, interventions by members of organised crime groups are
explicitly prohibited. Around the same time, from the 1970s to the 1990s, administrative
bodies and professional authorised organisations officially and legally started offering
mediation services. Such mediation services are categorised as administrative ADR (Hayashi,
2011: 4; HoC, 2004b: 7-8, 11-12, 26; HoR, 2004a: 7).132
Although Japanese people are described as avoiding litigation (Rokumoto, 1986: 207-231;
Kawashima, 1967), their infrequent use of litigation does not mean that they ignore their
sense of justice and avoid disputes (Murayama, 2017). They simply have more means of
resolving disputes prior to becoming involved in litigation. In fact, going though litigation has
and still entails financial, time-consuming burdens (Hearn, 2005/1904; Miyatake, 2017). So,
what was intended as the contribution of the ADR Act 2004, which came into force in 2007?
5.2.3 Enactment of the ADR Act 2004 It was the legal scholars’ grass-root activities, drawing on other countries, that led to the
government drafting the bill (Ishihara, 2017a).133 However, the legislature did not consider
foreign countries’ situation and drafted entirely to fulfil Japan’s needs for ADR methods to
be regulated (HoR, 2004b: 3, 7, and 30). The enactment of the ADR Act 2004 thus was not
intended to introduce or replicate any mediation schemes used in other countries. It was
promulgated by considering the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law
Model Law to provide ADR in the private sector in Japan.
The ADR Act has supplementary legislation, the Order for Enforcement of the Act on
Promotion of Use of Alternative Dispute Resolution (Cabinet Order No. 186 of 2006) and the
Ordinance for Enforcement of the Act on Promotion of Use of Alternative Dispute Resolution
131 The Japanese translation is 暴力団員による不当な行為の防止等に関する法律. 132 Mediation in such administrative ADR started to deal mainly with consumer complaints, labour and housing and health issues, including nuclear damage compensation (Hayashi, 2011: 4; Ministry of Education, Cultural, Sports, Science and Technology, 2018; Ochi, 2005: 2) and also offered ombudsman services (Minami, 2006: 194-227). Private authorised ADR organisations, which offer mediation to deal with issues related to intellectual properties, traffic accidents, financial products, insurance and manufactured products (Hayashi, 2011: 4; Ochi, 2005: 2), work together with the Japanese Federation of Bar Associations, or those who are professionally qualified in their area. For instance, automobile vehicle insurance companies offer financial aid to the Japanese Centre for Settlement of Traffic Accident Disputes, which undertakes mediation for traffic accident issues, and the Centre itself is staffed by attorneys and professors in law (Japan Centre for Settlement of Traffic Accident Disputes, 2005). 133 For example, Japan’s earliest founders of restorative justice visited the USA to take part in Mark Umbreit’s mediation training sessions from around 2001 (Ishihara, 2017a).
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(Ministry of Justice Ordinance No. 52 of 2006).134 Article 1 of the Act sets out its purpose: to
offer a basic ADR provision for its citizens and establish the responsibilities of the
government and other relevant entities, at the same time as enforcing a certification system
of ADR providers under its special rules. The Minister of Justice announced that the Act
would enable its users to choose an ‘appropriate’ method from alternative dispute
resolution including litigation (HoR, 2004d: 4).135 The overall aim of mediators being certified
under the Act was to provide reliable information on mediation providers to its users and
prevent ‘malicious’ organisations, such as members of the organised crime groups, from
applying to become certified mediators, so that a user can choose the best mediator for
them (HoR, 2004d: 4).
The Act defines ‘dispute resolution providers’, which include mediators, as “persons who
arrange settlement through private dispute resolution procedures” under Article 2(iii).
‘Private dispute resolution procedures’ is defined under Article 2(i) as “alternative dispute
resolution procedures by which a private business, at the request of both parties to a civil
dispute for which settlement is sought, arranges settlement under a contract with the
parties to the dispute, excluding alternative dispute resolution carried out by persons
designated by law as dispute resolution services under the law, in accordance with a Cabinet
Order”. In that narrow field of the mediator profession, which had predominantly been
‘monopolised’ by lawyers albeit unintentionally yet perhaps desirably, the ADR Act 2004
certainly broadened the entry for non-lawyers to mediate in disputes in Japan and at the
same time, safeguarded the users.
The ADR Act 2004 states that private mediation organisations must satisfy the conditions of
its certification schemes under Article 5. Article 7 of the Act excludes certain categories of
people from becoming certified mediators because of the recommendations published by
the Justice System Reform Council (Justice System Reform Council, 2001).136 The Japanese
134 The Japanese translation for the former is 裁判外紛争解決手続の利用の促進に関する法律施行令, and the latter is
裁判外紛争解決手続の利用の促進に関する法律施行規則. The contents decided under the ADR Act 2004 remain untouched by both supplementary legislations. 135 This concurs with what has been proposed in the ADR movements in other countries, however (Fuller, 1971; Goldberg et al., 2003: 6; Menkel-Meadow, 2013: 423; Moscati, 2015: 5). 136 Chapter II, Part 1-8 of the Recommendation states that, with some exception of some organisations offering ADR services, the mechanisms offering such services, including mediation, are not yet fully functioning. In order to offer more user-friendly services, the reinforcement and vitalisation of mediation services is necessary. Such improvements of mediation services include enacting legislation which both promotes the use of mediation and strengthens coordination with adjudication procedures. In particular, it states that “[i]n order to utilize non-legal professional experts, such as those
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legislature admits that this disqualification or certification system is a rare scheme compared
to other countries (HoC, 2004b: 20; HoR, 2004a: 11; HoR, 2004b: 7).
The trainings and resources, including mediation models available to trainee mediators in
Japan, do not display significant differences from those used, for example, in the USA, where
such certification schemes through federal legislation are still not imposed (see for instance,
Doshisha Law School, 2016; Hashimoto and Matsuura, 2007:399; Irie, 2010; Japan Mediation
Centre, 2007; Wada, Ando, and Tanaka, 2015; Ishihara, 2017a).137 When debating the then
draft of the ADR Act 2004, Japan’s legislature showed how the development of mediation in
its justice system recognised the importance of maintaining access to justice by providing
alternative dispute resolution methods including mediation, without government
intervention in the private autonomy (HoC, 2004b; 2004c; 2004d; HoR, 2004b; 2004d).
As mentioned earlier, Article 7 of the Act imposes restrictions on who can be ADR service
providers through a national certification system. Japan has taken a cautious approach
towards providing mediation service in the private sector because of its recognition of the
private autonomy of its citizens. However, it also knows that there has been a significant
involvement of Yakuza. The government has as a result shown great reluctance to remove
prerequisites for certified mediators to possess ‘legal and professional knowledge’ in certain
areas of dispute. Mediation in Japan’s justice system is one of “legal procedures for settling
disputes […] while respecting the voluntary efforts of the parties […] achieving prompt
dispute resolution based on specialized expertise and in accordance with the actual facts of
the dispute” (Article 3, ADR Act 2004).138
On the basis that Japan has introduced the certification system as a legislative requirement
for mediators, a mediator is viewed as someone who attends the negotiation between
from fields adjoining law (so-called quasi-legal professionals), in ADR, study must be given to each such profession individually, taking into account each profession's actual situation, and the status of such non-legal professionals should be legally defined as part of the revision of Article 72 of the [Attorney Act (Act No. 205 of 1949)]. That article should at least clarify the contents of restrictions in an appropriate way, including the relationship with persons engaged in corporate legal work, from the standpoint of responding to changes in the contents of services provided by professionals in fields adjoining law and the diversification of company forms, in order to ensure the predictability of the scope and modes of activities that are subject to restrictions” (Justice System Reform Council, 2001). 137 A similar case in Massachusetts, USA, was mentioned in Chapter 3. 138 In fact, Article 6(i) and (v) of the ADR Act 2004 respectively state that such a service provider “defines with his or her specialised expertise the scope of disputes for which settlement will be arranged” and, if such a person is not a qualified lawyer, “an attorney is available for consultation when specialised knowledge on the interpretation and application of laws and regulations required in the process of providing private dispute resolution”.
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disputing parties, although only upon a disputant’s request. When the mediation, which is
viewed as such, is chosen by disputing parties prior to or during litigation, the mediation
market unquestionably expects, or may also be expected by the disputants themselves, to
standardise its service ‘quality’. The Minister of Justice announced that the certification
would guarantee the mediators’ quality standards to a certain degree without government
intervention (HoR, 2004d, 2).139
However, the ADR Act 2004 and its supplementary laws provide no reasons why those who
are listed under Article 7 should be disqualified from obtaining the certification, other than
to safeguard its users (HoC, 2004b: 27; HoR, 2004a: 9; HoR, 2004b: 2 and 8; HoR, 2004d: 4,
Ministry of Justice, 2013: 6-7, 14-15). The Ministry of Justice only provides an oversimplified
explanation on its disqualification under Article 7 on its website (Ministry of Justice, 2017a):
“those who falls under Article 7 cannot be dispute resolution providers. For instance, those
private organisations whose practice are traced to organised crime groups such as
Boryokudan.” One of its intended aims was clearly to prevent members of organised crime
groups from undertaking a mediator role. In the same year that the ADR Act 2004 came into
force, local governments of each municipality also began to implement local laws of the
Organized Crime Exclusion Ordinances and all prefectures had the law in place by 2011.140
While the government seems to have successfully excluded members of organised crime
groups, allowing the disputants to maximise their autonomy, and maintained access to legal
advice, thereby preventing unfair outcomes by using private mediation under the ADR Act
2004, the realisation of who mediates matters in Japan has nothing to do with any of the
eight precepts generated in Chapter 3.
5.2.4 Current situation of mediation available in Japan There are no signs of any terms equivalent to the English terms spiritual or spirituality being
used in the development of mediation in Japan to date, except on two occasions: one in
139 Mareschal (2005) may partially justify why the ADR Act 2004 does not contain any directions on how to conduct mediation sessions and Article 7 of the Act only excludes certain categories of people from becoming mediators. While relationship hostility negatively correlates to the effectiveness of mediation, mediators’ tactics are not a relevant factor (Mareschal, 2005). Mediators’ skills, characteristics, and both personal and professional qualities, and disputant clients’ collaborative orientations, which can effectively be maintained by the mediator with those professional and personal traits, were found to be more influential on the effectiveness (Mareschal, 2005). In this test, a member of the organised crime group may cultivate a ‘hostile’ relationship with either or both parties participating in mediation which negatively influences resolution. 140 The Japanese translation of this Ordinances is 暴力団排除条例.
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2007, when Fujioka’s (2007) translation of Umbreit (2001) was published and the other, in
2012 when Ishihara held her public lecture (as cited in Kumamoto Jinzai Shinbun, 2012).141
This section articulates whether any of those precepts have been referred to in Japan’s
mediation context by analysing the status quo of mediation in Japan.
There are currently three types of mediators in Japan: those who undertake judicial,
administrative and private mediation.142 Judicial and administrative mediation do not have
anything to do with religions or religious groups because of the nature of their work. Those
registered with the Ministry of Justice under Article 1 and listed on its website as certified
mediation providers undertake private mediation. According to the website (Ministry of
Justice, 2019),143 166 organisations have been certified, of which six of them have now
stopped offering the service and one has been dissolved. Among 159 bodies, only two are
working as individual mediators without belonging to any organisations. None of those 159
organisations is a religious or religion-related group.
Other people can also privately mediate without being legally authorised to do so. When
involved in disputes which could become litigious at a later stage, Japanese people seek legal
help from someone other than lawyers, those who Rokumoto (1986:41) calls ‘non-lawyer
specialists.’ The characteristics of the non-lawyer specialists are that they tend to be
individuals with whom the disputant already has a personal relationship, such as family
members, friends, acquaintances, colleagues, and so on, and who possesses professional
knowledge and experience in the disputed area and is not necessarily qualified as a lawyer.
The non-lawyer specialists need to be capable negotiators rather than authoritative decision
makers in relation to the nature of disputes brought to them (Rokumoto, 1986:251).
If Rokumoto’s views alone are applied, members of Yakuza, who may use actual violence,
threats, or fear, could be viewed as capable of handling dispute situations in Japan. Indeed,
members of Yakuza appear to continue to intervene in disputes (Hill, 2003: 92-136),
although their ways of settling issues does not favour any disputants except for those willing
to settle their issues unfairly in their favour by using the members as mediators, albeit
unprofessional ones. This is one of the reasons why the Civil Code contains Article 96, which
141 These were already discussed in Chapter 2. 142 The certified private mediators are those who fall under Article 1 of the ADR Act 2004. 143 The website is available at http://www.moj.go.jp/KANBOU/ADR/jigyousya/ninsyou-index.html
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explicitly overturns any legal agreements reached as a result of duress and fraud.
Furthermore, those informally selected uncertified mediators cannot receive any monetary
awards or compensation under Article 72 of the Attorney Act (Act No. 205 of 1949). The
exceptions to this are where they are lawyers or certified mediators working in their
professional capacity or the mediators being paid to mediate as an employee by hospitals
or schools (Science Council of Japan, 2008: 14; Ikejima, 2010: 39-42).
Article 72 of the Attorney Act, which came into force soon after Japan established the
current adjudication system in the 1940s, prohibits ‘legal services’ by non-attorneys unless
the contrary was enforced by other laws. The wording of the Article is as follow [emphasises
added by the author of the present thesis]:
Article 72 No person other than an attorney or a Legal Professional Corporation may, for the purpose of obtaining compensation, engage in the business of providing legal advice or representation, handling arbitration matters, aiding in conciliation, or providing other legal services in connection with any lawsuits, non-contentious cases, or objections, requesting for re-examination, appeals and other petitions against administrative agencies, etc., or other general legal services, or acting as an intermediary in such matters; provided, however, that the foregoing shall not apply if otherwise specified in this Act or other laws.144
Through this Article, Japan has long prohibited ‘an intermediary’, including mediators, from
receiving money or monetary reward, in return for providing disputants with a mediation
service as their business. Those disputes can be resolved by court. Mediation held outside
of the judiciary does not fall into this ‘mediation’ category if the interveners do not receive
money or monetary reward, and their role as a mediator is voluntary and not a business
activity.145
The Supreme Court of Japan further explains its understanding of Article 72 in a judgment
made on 14th July 1972,146 stating that the court was concerned by people not being subject
to any disciplinary rules and intervening in other people’s legal issues for their own material
benefit. Such interventions could not be left outside legislation because of their potential to
undermine the interests of those involved and other relevant parties, interrupt fair and
harmonious legal affairs, and so impair law and order.
144 The translation is made available by the Ministry of Justice (2018). 145 Mediatory or intervening activities to resolve disputes by the organised crime groups including Yakuza are hence prohibited by this Article because their actions have often and traditionally been in exchange for money or monetary value (National Police Agency, 2005: Chapter 2, section2-2-2). 146 The matter number: 昭和 44(あ)1124.
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What Article 72 intended to achieve was, as interpreted by the Supreme Court, to exclude
any parties other than legal professionals from intervening in litigious matters. Violation of
this Article is subject to criminal liability under Article 77(iii) of the Attorney Act. In private
mediation, which functions independently of a national authority, many cooperate with the
Japan Federation of Bar Associations (HoR, 2004b: 20-21) due to Article 72, although
certified mediators under the ADR Act 2004 are exempt and allowed to work
independently.147
Demand for mediation in the country was motivated by a need to decrease costs at a time
of existing litigation procedure and increasing access to justice (Hearn, 2005/1904;
Miyatake, 2017).148 Because the process of resolving conflict has been an alternative to
court procedure (HoR, 2004d: 4), many disputing parties wish to choose their mediator from
a pool of trained and skilled mediators who are certified accordingly, while others prefer
choosing their mediators more informally and distinguish intentionally the process from
certified mediation by paying no monetary compensation to the ‘mediator’.
Article 696 of the Civil Code (Act No. 9 of 1896 as amended Act No. 78 of 2006),149 Effects of
Settlements, states that agreed resolution of disputes, regardless of the resolution methods
used and whether or not a mediator is involved, cannot be overturned once agreed, in view
of legal enforceability, except where such resolution is reached by mistake, fraud or duress.
Article 95 of the Civil Code states that, “[m]anifestation of intention has no effect when there
is a mistake in any element of the juristic act in question; provided, however, that the person
who made the manifestation of intention may not assert such nullity by himself/herself if
he/she was grossly negligent”; Article 96(1) reads as, “[m]anifestation of intention which is
induced by any fraud or duress may be rescind” (Ministry of Justice, 2009).
Due to these Articles, dispute resolution practice, including private mediation under the ADR
Act 2004, is expected to be within the practice of law and the ADR Act 2004 does not grant
enforceability to settlements reached through mediation, even though it is safeguarded by
147 The ADR Act also inserted Article 6(v) which ensures access to legal advice. 148 This is in a similar way to the Anglo-American world (see further, Roberts and Palmer, 2005: 315-331). 149 The Japanese translation is 民法. The actual wording of the article reads as “In cases where it is admitted at settlement
that one of the parties has the rights that are the subject of the dispute, or that the other party did not have the rights, if conclusive evidence is obtained to the effect that the first party did not have the rights in the past, or that the other party did have the rights, the rights are regarded as either transferred to the first party or extinguished at settlement” (Ministry of Justice, 2009).
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Article 96 of the Code. The ADR Act protects mediation users from ‘unfair’ settlements from
a legal point of view, which any mediation process may face and risk, due to its voluntary
nature. While mediation is recognised as a means of alternative dispute resolution to
litigation, the ADR Act 2004 appears to take indeed a rare approach to certify and disqualify
certain categories of people, as discussed in the previous subsection.
Safeguarding its users from potential unprofessional mediators seems to have been
prioritised in Japan due to its unique social situation, as discussed in the previous
subsections.150 By enforcing the ADR Act 2004, the Japanese government seems to have
carried out a balancing exercise between maintaining the autonomy of disputants and
safeguarding those disputants from potential harm when pursuing their settlements
through private mediation. As stated earlier, even judges in Japan take a flexible approach
on a case by case basis when deciding what would achieve justice for those involved. The
ADR Act 2004 seems only to have reiterated the pre-existing rules.
Thus, the reason why the notion of who mediates matters is clearly highlighted by the ADR
Act 2004, is not because people consider it as ‘spiritual’ but because of Japan’s long-standing
social problems. However, the status quo created in Japan regarding its mediation practice
does indicate some recognition of mediation needing to be a safe place. By introducing the
notion of using spirituality to the Japanese-speaking mediation context, such recognition
might have been more concrete provided those translations convey the meaning intended.
In addition, the development of mediation in the country has had very minor or almost no
intersection with religions and this remains the case today. Because mediation practice has
not been traditionally conducted by religious leaders or used within religious communities,
introducing the notion of spirituality in the Japanese-speaking mediation context seems to
generate more controversy than benefits, despite some mediators such as Wolf (2017)
associating the notion of spirituality in mediation with that of maintaining harmony in the
relationship. The importance of wa could link to his idea if and when it has been introduced
150 Any members of the organised crime groups now must not intervene any disputes under Articles 7 to 19 of the Act to Prevent Unjust Acts by Organized Crime Group Members (Act No. 77 of 1991). Even in mediation held extrajudicially, the users of uncertified mediation without awarding their mediators with compensation are also safeguarded from members of such organised crime groups.
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to Japan by translation. However, in the context of Japanese-speaking mediation, spirituality
has thus far not linked to wa so explicitly.
Mediators are defined in English as a third party who can facilitate “transition,
conciliation, and abandonment of absolute contrast” (Simmel, 1950: 145), 151 and
there are certain conditions for mediators to exist (Gulliver, 1979). The three
conditions for any context are; “[f]irst, does the relevant community, through its
leaders or otherwise, insist that disputants are not entirely free agents and therefore
impose mediation?; [s]econd, do the disputants want third-party intervention
because of its expected advantages to them?; and [t]hird, are the disputant willing to
recognize and entertain the legitimate interests of a third party in their dispute and
its outcome?” (Gulliver, 1979: 231). If all three questions are answered with “no”,
mediators are most unlikely to appear (Gulliver, 1979: 231). The review in this section
has discovered that the latter two conditions are easily met by the Japanese-speaking
mediation, and the first one is also satisfied where judicial and administrative
mediations are used.
Even with the restriction imposed by Article 72 of the Attorney Act, Gulliver’s three
conditions are fulfilled. Mediators in Japan hence do not exhibit any uniqueness with
respect of their appearance to English-speaking mediators. If so, then why would the
notion expressed by the terms spiritual or spirituality have not appeared until 2007
when it was translated from English recourses?
The development of mediation practice in Japan has thus shown no indication of using the
various terms that exist in Japanese that evoke the English terms spiritual or spirituality. As
there are no apparent differences between mediators in English and Japanese-speaking
societies, the introduction of the notion of spirituality in the context of mediation as well as
through the training lectures delivered by Mark S. Umbreit were intended to improve
Japan’s mediation practice and contribute to its development. As has been argued in the
151 Such a third party was once said that he or she needed to maintain non-partisanship toward disputant parties and their issues by setting their subjective interests in a “purely objective mechanism” (Simmel, 1950: 150 and see mainly Chapter 4). However, a notion of non-partisanship or impartiality is now certainly subject to both academic and professional debates as difficult to assure due to mediators’ own set of ideas (Gulliver, 1979: 217; Roberts and Palmer, 2005: 154)
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previous section, the only one of the eight precepts described in Chapter 3 that is referred
to in the Japanese-speaking mediation context is the importance of mediation being
conducted in a safe space. Because of their unfamiliarity with the notion yet recognition of
the importance of Umbreit’s (2001) work, Fujioka (2007) and Ishihara (Kumamoto Jinzai
Shinbun, 2012) decided to transliterate those terms to introduce the notion described by
the terms spiritual or spirituality to the context of mediation in Japan.
Transliterated spirituality, which were written in katakana letters, conveys something
positive, advanced, fashionable and ‘foreign’ by eradicating the links to the supernatural
(Horie, 2009 and 2019).152 However, Japan ADR Association’s recommendation submitted in
2018 includes that there has been no significant increase in the use of private mediation
since the ADR Act 2004 came into force (Japan ADR Association, 2018). What are the
underlying attitudes of such an unpopularity of mediation in Japan?
The next section, thus, analyses the expectations of those who turn to mediation in Japan,
in order to understand the reasons behind this lack of growth followed by a case study.
5.3 What is expected in Japan’s mediation? Mediation is often described as meeting Japan’s cultural expectations and preferences for
non-litigious resolutions (Haley, 1979). However, considerable time has passed since the
promulgation of the Seventeen-Article Constitution in 604, although the strong intention of
preserving harmony in the community has been maintained through the development of
alternative methods to litigation from the establishment of naisai to the recent enforcement
of the ADR Act 2004. Japanese people have been described as preferring to use a naisai style
justice system, which can be mediation in today’s Japan because the Japanese are familiar
with a Buddhism peaceful ideology, which influenced Prince Shōtoku’s constitution, as well
as Shintoism, which was the main religion in Japan by that time (Tanaka, 2000: 105).153
152 Fujioka (2007) also applied seishin. The detailed analysis over the suitability of the applied translations will be presented in the next chapter, after the examination of the notion of spirituality in the Japanese-speaking mediation context. 153 As mentioned in the earlier section, the Japanese people have long valued the concept of wa since 604 (Baum, 2013: 1014; Callister and Wall, 1997:312; Uchtmann, Blessen, and Maloney, 1987: 351; Tanaka, 2000, 105 and 107; Upham, 1976: 594, and 616-617; Yoshida, 2003). The value still exists in modern Japan (Tanaka, 2000; Tanaka, 2006).
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Considering the fact that something similar to mediation regardless of the name of the
method has always been available in Japan since at least 604, when there was no litigation
available yet, have they still been under such religious influences for preferring mediatory
measures to litigation? However, the fat that the increase of the use of private mediation
under the ADR Act 2004 has been very subtle, should not be ignored (Japan ADR Association,
2018). The following sections thus discuss what people who turn to mediation expect apart
from the known advantages of using ADR rather than litigation, which are that ADR is
cheaper and less time-consuming. 154 The discussion in this section concludes by assessing
whether or not these expectations include mediation being ‘spiritual’ in the ways that are
expressed by the eight precepts identified in Chapter 3.
The first traditional view is one that is discussed very frequently by scholars whereas the
second perspective is proposed by more contemporary researchers since the enforcement
of the ADR Act 2004.
5.3.1 Traditional view: to keep a harmonious relationship Upham (1976: 586 and 589) analysed the Japanese approach to litigation mechanisms and
techniques and their implications by revealing the so-called ‘Big Four’ pollution injury cases
in the 1970s.155 According to Upham (1976), the victims resisted or were reluctant to use
litigation, and some of those victims thus settled for significantly less compensation because
they chose to use mediation, which Upham suggests is more like arbitration.
This sense of wa is strongly observed in the unique Japanese concepts of giri and sekentei
(Yoshida, 2003; Tanaka, 2000: 107).156 Giri is described as an underlying concept for the
Tokugawa shogunate’s societal rules (Uchtmann, Blessen, and Maloney, 1987: 350). While
giri is said to have no English equivalent word (Benedict, 1946: 133; Yoshida, 2003), it refers
to ‘social obligation’, which correlates to gratitude or appreciation of kindness (Lebra, 1976:
46, 91-95). Examples of giri include, “obstinacy, consideration for others, moral
154 The demand for mediation in contemporary Japan has been driven by the need to decrease costs and to avoid the lengthy litigation procedure, thereby increasing access to justice as discussed in 5.2 above. 155 “These cases are commonly known as the Toyama Itai Itai Case (Toyama District Court, decided June 20, 1971; appeal decided by the Kanazawa Branch of the Nagoya High Court, August 9, 1972)[…]; the Niigata Minamata Disease Case (Niigata District Court, Sept. 29, 1971)[…]; the Yokkaichi Case (Tsu District Court, Yokkaichi Branch, July 24, 1972)[…]; and the Kumamoto Minamata Disease Case (Kumamoto District Court, March 10, 1973)[…]. All but Yokkaichi, an air pollution case, concerned the pollution of natural water systems by chemical effluence from the defendant companies. The Toyama case concerned poisoning by cadmium; the other two involved mercury poisoning.” (Upham, 1976: 479). 156 The Japanese translation of giri is 義理, and sekentei is 世間体.
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indebtedness, or community obligation, and so on” (Yoshida, 2003). Normally, giri is
understood to appear as an obstruction to litigation (Rokumoto, 1986: 228-229). However,
as seen in Upham’s (1976) analysis, the concept of giri may also help in facilitating a group
litigation.
In a similar way, the Japanese are said to retain a strong sense of sekentei, which Yoshida
(2003) translates as ‘social awareness’. In the context of a close-knit community, sekentei
requires, if not demands, people to be excessively conscious about how they appear,
compared to other people in the community. Differing from the rest of the community is an
individual embarrassment, and this has been identified as a ‘shame culture’ (Benedict, 1946:
see mainly, 222-227). The Japanese feel shame when undermining or denigrating their
status on two conditions (Lebra, 1976: 79-80). The first is one’s status being recognised by
others, and the second is the unsuitable behaviour of one’s status being exposed to other
people. Taking care of one’s sekentei protects the individual from embarrassment in both
these situations. Describing a whole nation composed of various cultural minorities as a
‘shame culture’ is debatable since Benedict (1946) only carried out her fieldwork among
Japanese immigrants in the USA (Lewis, 1997: 68). However, other scholars also echo that
the tendency for people in Japan to be influenced by either guilt or shame, or both of these,
in their daily lives (Lewis, 2018: 207).
Where such a strong sense of harmony, or perhaps uniformity, exists in a community,
becoming a litigant in a lawsuit means that the litigant does not appreciate other people’s
indebtedness in the community and that they are different from others in the community.
The litigant has only two options, to be seen as a complainer or to be seen as in harmony
with the community. Hence, people decide to join the litigation or not to, in order to be in
harmony with the rest of their community members, regardless of their own wishes.
The idea that Japanese people may be traditionally ‘reluctant to sue’ has been around since
Kawashima proposed this argument in 1963. The tendency has been discussed by a number
of scholars who have identified political, institutional, cultural, economic or circumstantial
reasons in such attitudes towards litigation.157 However, Murayama (2014: 203) has argued
157For example, Ginsburg and Hoetker (2006), Haley (1979), Kawashima (1963), Murayama (2014), Ramseyer (1988), and Tanase (1990)
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that this attitude toward litigation has changed since the 1960s and that now, people do not
hesitate to initiate lawsuits, as long as the immediate circumstances of the prospective
litigant permit such an action.
Haley (1979) has argued that it is Japan’s legal system itself that prevents its citizens from
bringing legal actions before the courts. However, this may not be a dominant reason and is
a little too narrow, although aforementioned Kawashima’s (1963) view does not entirely
reflect the Japanese litigation culture, either (Murayama, 2017). What Murayama (2017)
discovered based on his empirical research was that, “there is a cheaper and sometimes
compulsory chōtei system in parallel to its litigation system, and also there is very narrow
access to appointing lawyers” (Murayama, 2017: 304-305). Public legal advice bureaus,
which are run by either the public authority or non-profit making organisations, offer good
access to legal advice for the Japanese (Murayama, 2017: 306-207). Access to courts or
involvements in lawsuits, both fewer or lesser in numbers, do not influence or change their
legal consciousness, especially their awareness of their legal rights and responsibilities
(Muramatsu, 2010).
As Haley (1979) himself has acknowledged, Japan’s social organisations and values are more
supportive of informal settlements through methods such as mediation and the Japanese
may not necessarily pursue litigation when they can achieve the same result using
alternative methods. Furthermore, when no agreement is reached through alternative
methods such as chōtei and mediation, they can always pursue their claims in court.
The underlying cultural factors that have been discussed so far such as weighing wa, giri, or
sekentei within the community, exist in the, “immediate circumstances that a person faces
at the time of experiencing a problem” in Japan where shame is heavily emphasized
(Benedict, 1946: 286-289; Murayama, 2014: 196-200, and 203) as is guilt (Lewis, 2018; 2013:
205-208). Murayama’s (2017: 294) empirical data suggests that the more considerate the
prospective litigants are towards the influence on the relationship with the opponent
because of bringing a legal action, the less the litigation will be. The data also shows that
those who have lived in the same area longer and earn more, and those who consider
harmony with others more important than insisting on individual rights, are less likely to
face legal disputes (Murayama, 2017: 284 and 287).
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Another advantage of mediation is that it has maintained wa in the Japanese community
where disputes occur and because it is confidential, the involved disputants do not lose face
and their social status is not undermined by exposing their issues in public (Callister and Wall,
1997: 314). There will be a solution for disputes, “when there is congruence between
individuals and their community, with shared commitment to common values” (Auerbach,
1983: 16). That is because, “the Japanese ‘group ethic’ means that greater emphasis is
placed on honouring obligations to others within one’s own group than on helping those
who are outside one’s group” (Lewis, 2013: 210-211).
If individuals in the same community were to appear congruent to their community, there
would be fewer conflicts that require either legal or alternative solutions such as mediation.
When conflicts do arise within communities, how the conflict is resolved reveals the ‘most
basic values’ of that community (Auerbach, 1983: 3), and the method or willingness of
preserving the community reflects on how to solve the conflicts that occur within it
(Auerbach, 1983: 4). Furthermore, the mediator is often a communication initiator between
the disputants who is motivated to “do good for both parties” (Lebra, 1976: 122). In this way,
the mediator cannot undertake their task unless the disputants agree that they become
mediator. Otherwise, it would be considered as “osekkai (“meddlesomeness”)” (Lebra,
1976: 41).158 Mediation is situated on a fine line between empathy, or the ability and
willingness to help other people by understanding others’ feelings in the situation, and being
seen as meddlesome, which is “the antithesis of empathetic understanding” (Lebra, 1976:
39 and 41).
By selecting a mediator in this manner, if the involvement of ‘mediation’ was exposed to
other members of the community or the mediation failed, neither disputant involved in the
mediation loses face because the communication was initiated by the ‘mediator’ whose
communication skills are then considered not appropriate or good enough to solve the issue.
However, the mediator is not embarrassed by having failed to mediate because they are
seen as having acted from his giri for those disputants and “attaining harmony is a noble
one” (Callister and Wall, 1997: 314). The community’s other residents may also recommend
that disputing parties use such a ‘mediator’, who does not necessarily require systematic
training or certification and can be chosen based on the religious, political, moral or any
158 The Japanese translation is お節介.
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other personal preferences of those who require mediation if they are acting privately
outside of the legal system, on an ad hoc basis.
The community would rather honour this type of half-voluntary but half-active involvement
of a ‘mediator’ as this preserves wa in that community. In one view, the more close-knit the
community, the less litigatory demands exist within the community (Auerbach, 1983: 19);
on the other hand, they can be more litigious because of community ties (Tanaka, 2000: 112
and 132-133). For example, Upham (1976) reported that some of the victims of the Big Four
Pollution civil litigation cases in Japan decided whether to join the litigation based on their
desire to preserve a sense of community. If others join, they join as well; if others do not,
they then do not join. Being in a unison with other members of the community allows to
preserve the community harmony.
In reporting his private survey conducted in Japan, Lewis (2018: 300-304) analysed that the
Japanese seem to have feelings of shame and guilt concurrently yet independently. In other
words, the Japanese feel a sense of shame and guilt even when others did not know about
the actions that caused these feelings (Lewis, 2018: 301 and 303).159 There seems to be a
‘new’ morality among the Japanese people,160 but it is deeply embedded in their daily life
practice as, “the personal, inmost element of man, that element which makes him conscious
of sin” (Lewis, 2018: 303-304 by citing Babase, 1967: 73). Based on the analysis in this section,
the Japanese seem to prefer following what other people do in their community.
In the context of this unique value, what manifests one’s justice may depend on the
circumstances, including the cultural context (MacIntyre, 2007/1981 and 2001; Roberts and
Palmer, 2005: 10-17). It may be more appropriate to refer to a plurality of justices because
there is more than one rationality (MacIntyre, 2001/1988: 9). Even in contemporary Japan,
the complex nature of what is moral or not because of the emphasis on shame and guilt,
based on wa, giri, and sekentei, still influence social attitudes. However, the resources used
to layout such attitudes of Japanese people are admittedly outdated. Whether this
traditional view still suffices in modern Japan will be discussed in the case study at 5.3.3
below.
159 McKay (2001: 59 as cited in Lewis, 2018: 303) also confirmed Lewis’s (2018) results. 160 According to Jones (2016: 289), morality is concerned with how we deal with other people.
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Settling disputes within horizontal interpersonal relationships such as within a relatively
close group or local community may be preferred to using mediation or chōtei because
involving authoritative figures such as certified mediators or chōtei personnel through
registration means that their issues would be recorded semi-permanently (Rokumoto, 1986:
209; Tanaka, 2000: 133). In addition, individuals may feel that as informal third-party
interveners offer their time and efforts freely, they may resolve issues more quickly, as well
there being no financial loss because informal mediators cannot receive any monetary
compensation for their services under Article 72 of the Attorney Act. While community spirit
in Japan appears to be humanistic and beautiful, although slightly over-dependent on
‘others’, there seem to be no clear resemblances to the eight precepts of spirituality in their
desires and decisions, except for a strong urge to make mediation safe.
5.3.2 Contemporary view: avoiding unfair decisions Since the enforcement of the ADR Act 2004, there have been many articles published in the
field, some of which have raised concerns about the quality of mediation, especially in the
private sector, now made widely available by the Act. According to Yamada’s (2009) analysis,
Japan’s judicial and administrative ADR methods, including their mediation and chōtei, are
trusted by the users because of the professionalism that the intervening third party brings
to the table. By contrast, the quality of private mediation under the ADR Act 2004 is seen as
inferior to the other two types of mediation, mainly due to a perceived lack of training. The
analysis concludes that, although a preference for mediation over litigation is stronger due
to the desire of preserving harmony and the enforced certification by the ADR Act 2004 is
now available, only the procedural fairness such as access to mediation is guaranteed under
the Act but not the practice quality of private, certified mediators due to a lack of training.161
This situation is not dissimilar to the certification scheme in place in Massachusetts which
did not consider the training process as a vital part.162 In modern Japan, people’s strong
demands of seeking standardised service quality developed through training and practical
experience, rather than mere certification (Miyatake, 2017, Yamada, 2009), are due to the
fact that its third-party dispute intervention has been predominantly offered by law
professionals. Yamada (2009) suggests that access to the necessary legal advice appears to
161 Hence, the Article 6(v) of the ADR Act 2004 as discussed in 5.2.3 above. 162 As discussed in Chapter 3.
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be vital for prospective mediation users in that country, which is another reason why they
may still prefer using litigation.
Both Yamada (2009) and Miyatake (2017) point out that there is not enough emphasis on a
mediator’s duty of confidentiality in both the private sector and judiciary. Miyatake (2017)
argues that in chōtei, this is due to having to balance the disputants’ confidentiality against
public interest, and that private mediation under the ADR Act 2004 inherited this tendency.
Both authors criticise the certified, private mediation under the ADR Act 2004 for failing to
gain enough trust from the public due to those reasons. The users of mediation
predominantly prefer to be a part of a legal practice which is regulated for the professional
standards.
There are also historical reasons why the mediation under the ADR Act 2004 has attracted
so few users, according to Miyatake (2017). In her extensive research into the history of
using naisai, kankai and chōtei in pre-World War II Japan, she found that throughout history
up to the World War II, all three had been used by the government as a tool of authority to
suppress people and abuse their human rights. Although this was only up to the period
before the War, Miyatake (2017) argues that this has severely scarred the people of Japan,
including legal scholars and practitioners. This is why, she suggests, there is a reluctance to
use chōtei or any other ADR methods, including private mediation, viewing these as inferior
to litigation (Miyatake, 2017). In other words, in the eyes of the Japanese people, the ADR
and litigation are somewhat considered to be in the same category of receiving resolution
although the purpose of mediation differs from litigation as for achieving settlements. Based
on these findings, providing mediation training as part of certification is recommended to
assure the service quality (Miyatake, 2017).163
The traditional view of the people of Japan being generally non-litigiousness has long been
accepted in academic discussions. 164 The perspectives of Yamada (2009) and Miyatake
(2017) are relatively new. However, so far, they do not appear to contradict this accepted
wisdom. What is controversial is Miyatake’s (2017) description of the nature of chōtei as
163 Miyatake’s (2017) research was approved and valued by the research committee of Hitotsubashi University, Tokyo, Japan, for raising an extremely new and convincing point which had not been made by any scholars in the chōtei research field before (Hitotsubashi University, 2017). 164 As shown in the previous subsection.
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heteronomous. In her analysis, the Japanese do not have enough self-autonomy when they
are involved in disputes. In other words, they use litigation to seek someone who will settle
their disputes.
Her unique analysis of Japan’s mediation history, including chōtei, provides the background
to what the present thesis has categorised as the traditional view in the previous subsection.
Despite societal expectations and socially embedded, unspoken rules to respect wa, giri, and
sekentei, their non-litigious attitudes are as a result of their accumulated fear of being
treated unfairly in mediation based on such a history (Miyatake, 2017). This vicious cycle of
third-party dispute intervention being heteronomous and its users lacking self-autonomy,
negatively influences the development of mediation, both chōtei and private mediation, as
well as the frequencies of using the service in Japan.
What this section has discussed so far is the theoretical expectations of people in Japan who
seek mediation. To better illustrate these two perspectives, the next section presents a case
study of neighbour dispute in modern Japan.
5.3.3 Case study to illustrate those two views In order to further illustrate the current mediation provision in Japan in the context of the
two views discussed in the previous two sections, this section focuses on a neighbour
dispute in the country as a case study: the neighbourhood association and the communities’
garbage collection points.
In Japan, there are neighbourhood associations, community-based voluntary organisations
which are often called ‘chōnaikai’ or ‘jichikai’ (the ‘Associations’).165 This community-based
organisation is not a branch or part of any municipal bodies such as local government or
council offices and has nothing to do with administrative bodies of the country’s government,
either. Under legislation called Chihōjichi Hō (Act No. 67 of 1947),166 the associations are not
defined, although their rights and duties are under Article 206(2). An association in a
community is normally run by the residents of the area, and each household pays a
membership fee. While there are no national rules in place, local rules are likely to include
165 The Japanese translations of ‘chōnaikai’ and ‘jichikai’ are respectively 町内会 and 自治会. 166 This legislation is not translated officially into English language, and its English translation can be the ‘Local Autonomy
Act’. The Japanese translation of the Act, Chihōjichi Hō, is 地方自治法.
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assigning each member resident to an unpaid chore such as cleaning the communal
collection points of house-hold waste. Waste collections are arranged by the local
government or council using tax money (Article 6 (2) i of the Waste Management and Public
Cleansing Act (Act No.137 of 1970)). The Association tends to oversee the collection points
which may be set up in a plot of land owned by the Association. In 2005, the Supreme Court
held that the Associations in Japan were established without rights, and thus cannot force
local residents to join and must not stop the residents’ right to resign at any time of the
membership year unless the Association clearly states that such resignation is not permitted
in its rule book.167
By this decision, together with the fact that the household waste collection services are
organised by local government, any residents without unpaid levies are entitled to use the
services, regardless of whether they are a member of their local Association. However, mass
media including NHK, Japan Broadcasting Corporation, and Sankei Shimbun, one of major
national newspapers, have respectively reported incidents of residents in Osaka (Japan
Broadcasting Corporation, 2018) and in Tokyo (Sankei Shimbun, 2017) who, at the time of
reporting, were banned from using the communal collection points and forced not to use
the services because they had not joined their local Association. They both refused to join
due to the sheer volume of the auto-assigned unpaid duties and chores that the Association
demanded from its members.
The case, discussed on the resident’s twitter feed leading eventually to being reported by
NHK, was settled immediately after the broadcast: the local council initiated a tripartite
discussion with the Association and the residents. Before the broadcast, the local council
had responded to the resident that they, the Association and the resident, should discuss
the matter directly, stating that the council can provide no solution since it offers no
individual waste collection service to its residents. When the resident contacted the
Association with some alternative proposals regarding the assigned duties and chores, she
was turned down on the basis that accepting her offer would make an exception, which
would be unfair to the rest of the community. Instead, the Association insisted on her joining
the Association and undertaking all the chores and duties as other members, if she wished
to use the collection point (Japan Broadcasting Corporation, 2018).
167 The matter number: 平成 16(ネ)946 listed in Shumin, vol.216 at 639.
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Both cases reported were the similar but separate incidents occurred after the enforcement
of the ADR Act 2004 in 2007. The reports also warned that similar neighbour dispute cases
were on the increase across the country and that increasing numbers of people are now
seeking legal advice to find solutions. Mediation was not used or even considered in either
case, according to the reports, nor was there any encouragement to use mediation. Those
reports also illustrated as that no ‘community leaders’, who offer mediation free of charge
and out of their goodwill, were available in the areas where the incidents occurred.
In those mass media reports, the ‘community leaders’ of their local Associations seem
certainly not in the position of undertaking mediation as they themselves were in dispute
with the local residents. Both reports urged the administrative bodies, including local
councils, to review the current system, including its ordinances and relationships with the
local Associations, to ensure fair treatment for local residents.168 As Sankei Shimbun (2017)
has pointed out, the Associations were founded during World War II and people’s lifestyles
and needs have significantly changed since then. The law and rules binding its local residents
and Associations need to change to reflect this.
However, these suggested changes and general restructuring that would address issues such
as above discussed neighbour disputes, cannot be put on hold for years until such desired
reforms are implemented. In order to address the issues promptly, for example so to use
the waste collection points, the residents in this case study chose either to go court or leak
their situation anonymously to the public, including mass media, rather than using
mediation. This case study illustrates that the reason why people in Japan now do not use
mediation is not so much because of a desire to preserve community harmony but because
they do not tolerate someone who fails to act from a desire to keep harmony in the
community. There is no need to discuss with such an ‘intruder’ to the community harmony.
This supports the first traditional view above.
This does not mean that people do not use litigation. They know to use courts to argue and
seek for judgments. Japanese people traditionally consider litigation as public decision-
making and fight (Rokumoto, 1986: 247-248); they bring their issues before the courts to
168 A similar point is made in an article published by Kenmochi (2016), a researcher at the Legal Department of Japan Centre for Cities. Although Kenmochi (2016) did not mention using mediation to achieve autonomy in their own communities, she did suggest that administrative changes were urgently needed.
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receive a judgement yet doing so means dispute. There has been a cultural tendency to
observe legal frameworks or legislative measures as a ‘last resort’ and consider it as
‘decorative’ or systematic policies rather than practical tools to control society (Kawashima,
1967:47-48; Tanaka, 2000 and 2006). Thus, when they decide to act on solving their disputes,
they do so by taking their opponents to places where they are exposed to a bigger, larger
community such as online forum using twitter, mass media which broadcasts nationally, or
the courts. Nonetheless, the courts take longer to decide and more money while SNS feeds
and mass media take much shorter, if not immediate, to act and free of charge.
Miyatake (2017) has suggested that their heteronomous attitudes may be described as being
a result of the Japanese losing or failing to develop enough autonomy over justice and their
abilities to discuss and negotiate so as to be able to settle their own disputes. She further
claimed that the Japanese will insist on their rights and entitlements despite lacking such
autonomous techniques to settle own disputes without seeking a decision maker. As a result,
when all parties are in conflict and are unable to yield to the other with the aim of finding a
reasonable compromise, there will be no solution but to seek a third party to decide for
them.
Mediation can be used effectively when all parties involved start to talk to each other about
their issues, not at the point when one of the parties has decided to disclose to a third-party,
whether social media or the courts. This case study illustrates the point made by Miyatake
(2017) and Yamada (2009) that the Japanese appear not to trust the ADR, including
mediation and would rather stay dependent on and wait for, their decision-making bodies
to make the required changes to their everyday lives, than become autonomous. Such
decision-making bodies are judges, administrative bodies such as the legislature, or any rule
making bodies, and now also include the general public.
Communities seem not only to have lost their leaders, who, according to the traditional view,
provided mediation, but also the people do not use, or perhaps distrust, mediation and
chōtei. They expect courts, if not the wider public accessible through mass media such as
national newspaper or TV programmes, to make decisions for them. When they do decide
to argue and fight for justice, thereby breaking the harmony, which is still seen as a last
resort, they prefer the dispute process to be disclosed and recorded semi-permanently and
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officially. They do not hesitate to use mass media or courts then because their motive is to
ask the wider society to be on their side for justice. They do not lose their face by speaking
up for themselves treated unreasonably, either; their action also protects someone who
may be in the similar position as theirs. In this way, they cannot be victimised for unfair
decisions which may be the case in using mediation. Mediation and chōtei available in Japan
do not meet this need to air grievances publicly because the process takes place behind
closed doors.169
In such circumstances, introducing the notion of spirituality in mediation by using
transliterated spirituality may not impress the public or be appreciated by its prospective
users and service providers. In answering those two questions posed in the end of the
previous section,170 this section concludes as that mediation in Japan has been expected to
be a part of judiciary where law is a central force. Although the ADR Act 2004 contains
‘alternative dispute resolution’ in its title and came into force in 2007, the people of Japan
seem not to consider mediation as alternative to litigation. Because of the heteronomous
attitudes together with the strong desires for obtaining resolution from a fair, authoritative
body which includes the wider society as an entity rather than achieving settlements on their
own, mediation in Japan did not have to develop the notion of using spirituality in settling
disputes.
The notion expressed by Lois Gold and Mark S. Umbreit must have been observed by
Japanese scholars as, again to reiterate, new, advanced and foreign (Horie, 2009), which
should thus be expressed by transliteration. The consequences of using transliterated
spirituality to introduce and apply the notion to such a small, unpopular mediation market
will be analysed in more detail in the next chapter. In order to do so, the next section revisits
the eight precepts as a notion in the context of the issues that have been explored in this
chapter.
5.4 Would the notion of using spirituality in mediation be understood in Japan?
169 However, Miyatake (2017) claimed that the degree of confidentiality in private mediation is insufficient. See also, Yamada (2009). 170 These questions are the reason the terms spiritual or spirituality did not appear in the Japanese-speaking mediation context prior to 2007 and why mediation has not increased in its use since 2007.
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Based on the case study presented in the previous section, together with the issues explored
in this chapter so far, this section poses the question whether it is realistic for the notion of
spirituality to be used in the Japanese-speaking mediation context.
As discussed in Chapter 1, there are cultural minorities in Japan. The first precept identified
in Gold (1993 and 2003) and Umbreit (1997; 2001) was that spirituality is applicable to and
does not discriminate against anyone due to their culture. This wide, equal application of
spirituality, regardless of cultural background, appears to be supportive in a multi-cultural
society like Japan. It can remove cultural barriers that may exist between people. In the case
study, the issue was over the auto-assigned duties so to use the shared waste-collection
point. Likewise, the second precept, which removes barriers between religions by using the
inclusive terms spiritual or spirituality, could have the same effect in the case study.
Although the cultural and religious backgrounds of those involved were not revealed, the
first and second precepts would fail immediately in a situation which involved disputing
parties of different cultural and religious backgrounds if its application was limited to certain
cultures including customs or religions.
In Japan where the ADR Act 2004 and other previous legislation widely recognise the risks
of intersecting with members of organised crime, the third and fourth precepts may be
better understood. As already discussed in Chapter 3, there are research conducted by
Japanese researchers on power of language. Furthermore, according to Horie (2019: 17-16),
transliterated spirituality used in the fields of psychology and sociology of religions contains
people’s interests and beliefs in such spirits of deceased. His research hints the possibility of
Japanese speaking people to understand and accept spirituality used by Umbreit (1997 and
2001), which contain this aspect of indigenous mediation’s spirituality. Although the third
precept includes elements that cannot be tested or proved empirically, society
acknowledges the risks of the intervention of a third party that uses threats and violence in
dispute resolutions. This social awareness also extends to the part of the sixth precept that
emphasises the need for mediation to be held somewhere safe.
With regards to the fifth precept, which is about shifting consciousness to a higher level,
mediation in Japan has already introduced the transformative mediation model which uses
similar terminology (Wada, Ando, and Tanaka, 2015; Wada and Nakanishi, 2016; Wada and
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Otsuka, 2014; Science Council of Japan, 2008; Yoshida, 2009). When choosing a mediator
rather than social or mass media to seek justice, this precept can be resembled and
introduced as if being a part of the transformative mediation model. Those who are already
familiar with transformative model including mediators and prospective clients will be
capable of understanding the idea of a shift in consciousness. The issue discovered in this
chapter, however, illustrates that the real problem is not about whether people in Japan
would understand the idea; it is with their heteronomous attitudes and also with the
unpopular mediation which does not resolve the issue for the disputants like courts do
(Miyatake, 2017).
Considering how to encourage and promote third-party alternative dispute intervention in
Japan is beyond the scope of the present thesis and needs to be taken up in future research.
The focus of the present thesis is the introduction of the terms spiritual or spirituality by way
of translation to Japan’s mediation provision, a currently unpopular alternative to resolving
disputes, without unpacking their meanings. While the importance of the fifth precept might
be recognised by people in Japan, their attitudes as identified by the extensive research
conducted by Miyatake (2017), remain unchanged. As a result, this fifth precept will be
misunderstood. People, who have not established their own self-autonomy over justice and
view mediation as an inferior process to litigation for resolving their issues (Miyatake, 2017),
are less likely to understand the idea. They may understand the fifth precept as though a
mediator resolves the issues brought to the mediation session for the clients by being
connected.
Even so, there are further precepts. The differences between the shift described with
reference to spirituality and the shift as described in the context of the transformative
mediation model, have already been discussed in Chapter 4, in particular, the sixth precept,
reference to feelings of holiness or sacredness. As shown in the seventh precept, such
feelings of holiness or sacredness do not necessarily have religious connotations or are
associated with organised religions. However, as discussed in Chapter 1, the binary
classification as being either religious or non-religious exists in Japan (Lewis, 2018).
As seen in Chapter 3, faith-based mediation was described as accommodating spirituality,
whereas mediation described by using the terms spiritual or spirituality is not necessarily
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always to become faith-based mediation. In a similar manner, some practitioners in non-
indigenous mediation do not specify their practice model when using the terms spiritual or
spirituality to describe their mediation practice. Under the seventh and eighth precepts, a
mediator may explain that this sense of holiness or sacredness does not imply any religious
doctrine or faith and may emphasise the differences between their mediation and faith-
based mediation; however, other mediators and prospective clients in Japan will draw on
the two opposing categories of the binary classification, religious or non-religious, to
understand these precepts.
This section concludes that, although the notion of using spirituality may be understood and
recognised as important, it raises a number of issues. However, given the realities of the
Japanese-speaking mediation context, transliterating the English term spirituality may
appear to be a reasonable choice. As discussed in Chapter 2, the relationship between
transliterated spirituality and religion, which relates to the second precept, can be
categorised in four ways (Ando, 2006): transliterated spirituality includes religion; they
overlap although are partially different; religion contains spirituality; or both are different
(for similar arguments see Kasai, 2003: 124). These four categorisations reflect and
acknowledge the second precept well. The notion thus has been introduced by using
transliteration to emphasise the idea is advanced, stylish and not originally developed in the
Japanese-speaking mediation context (Horie, 2009; 2019).
Transliterated spirituality also succeeded to lose the meaning of the supernatural or
otherworldliness by replacing the term reisei which contains the letter rei (霊). Although the
application of transliteration may be preferred by the Japanese-speaking audience who
seemingly only depend on the binary classification as being religious or non-religious,
Umbreit’s (2001) spirituality contains both spiritualities used in the indigenous and non-
indigenous mediation. The latter spirituality is ironically better described by using the term
reisei, due to the letter rei (霊 ) which connotes the concept of the supernatural or
otherworldliness. Therefore, the next chapter articulates suitability of the currently applied
Japanese translations.
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5.5 Conclusion
To establish whether the notion of spirituality generated in Chapter 3 has ever been a part
of mediation in Japan, this chapter has discussed how mediation has developed in the
country and what users expect from mediation. The people of Japan recognise the need to
preserve the mediation session as a safe space due to their societal problems with organised
crime groups. However, there is no clear evidence that mediation in Japan has ever been
associated with the spirituality that Lois Gold and Mark S. Umbreit refer to. On the other
hand, the desire to make mediation practices safer could make Japanese speaking mediators
and prospective clients receptive to the notion of using spirituality in the context of
mediation.
In addition, it has been suggested that litigation processes which ultimately make decisions
about who is right and who is wrong undermine the value Japanese people place on
maintaining harmonious relationships. Because maintaining ‘harmony’ tends to be the
priority, it has once been argued, disputants would come to settlement to save the
mediator’s face, who is often a member of their close-knit community such as a family
member or community leader (Wada, Ando and Tanaka, 2015: 4).
In the past two decades, Japan has taken the rather radical, progressive approach in both
certifying its mediators and excluding some groups from becoming mediators by way of the
ADR Act 2004. The enactment of the Act was as a result of recognising that who mediates
matters; however, unsurprisingly, this was not due to any recognition of mediation having a
spiritual dimension. Rather, Japan needed the legislation to safeguard its mediation users
from anti-social groups such as organised crime groups, including Yakuza.
Although mediation has long been used in Japan, the Japanese equivalences to the English
word ‘spirituality’ has only been used in the context of mediation for the past two decades
or less since the translation of Gold and Umbreit’s work by Fujioka (2007) using
transliteration and the term seishin. Because transliterated spirituality associates the notion
with being ‘advanced’, ‘new’, ‘foreign’ and ‘stylish’ (Horie, 2009), Fujioka (2007) and Ishihara
(Kumamoto Jinzai Shinbun, 2012) perhaps both chose to use the transliteration in their work.
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In such circumstances, describing mediation practice using the transliterated term
spirituality seems rather abrupt. While Japan has historically put significant weight on
keeping harmonious relationships regardless of its legal development, ADR, including
certified private mediation, has not been used much and there has been no increase in its
use since the enactment (Japan ADR Association, 2018). Miyatake (2017) and Yamada (2009)
have proposed a number of reasons for this unpopularity and these have been discussed
through a case study of a recent neighbour dispute that was reported by the national media.
The community mediators who, used to be available in these situations to intervene
informally, are no longer available. Instead, disputants prefer to look to the wider
community or turn to courts to seek ‘justice’.
This attitude has been described as heteronomous by Miyatake (2017); however, the people
of Japan solve disputes by drawing on giri, sekentei and respect for wa in their community.
The larger the community, the more shame they will face. Thus, Japanese risk loss of faces
when using such heteronomous methods because they need to defend and win their claims.
When they do so, they do not use alternatives to litigation because they want a definitive
judgment; however, this does not need to be the court process, which takes longer and costs
more. If the matter is urgent, they will use the media to seek that judgement.
Finally, mediation available either as a form of chōtei or private mediation made available
under the ADR Act 2004 require users to have access to legal advice; the former is attended
by a judge together with chōtei personnel and the latter requires mediators to be legal
experts depending on the issue that is being disputed; alternatively, if the mediator does not
have the requisite expertise, they need to ensure that their clients have access to the
necessary legal advice. For Japanese-speaking disputants, mediation is inseparable from
legal advice and they therefore expect its outcome to be consistent with the rule of law. In
such expectations, using litigation and attending mediation are in the same category of fight
to seek justice (Rokumoto, 1986: 247-248).
Given these factors, using transliteration to introduce a notion like spirituality, whose
meaning is context dependent, without first defining its meaning in the specific context, is
bound to result in ambiguity. Certainly, the introduction of the term in 2007 does not appear
to have contributed to increasing the popularity of mediation in Japan. This does not mean
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that people in Japan do not recognise or understand each precept. However, people’s binary
classification as being either religious or non-religious also influences the extent to which
some of the precepts can be conveyed accurately. While transliteration may contribute to
reducing some of the identified issues, it is also problematic in other ways, as discussed in
this chapter as well as Chapter 2. Thus, the suitability of introducing the notion using current
translations will be discussed in the following chapter.
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6 Suitability of the currently applied translations in the Japanese-speaking mediation context
6.1 Introduction While mediation is unpopular in Japan, expected to be a part of legal profession and still in
the process of gaining public trust, the introduction of the notion described by the English
terms spiritual and spirituality to the Japanese-speaking mediation context in 2007 itself
might have been rather abrupt. This is especially so considering the fact that most of the
precepts regarding the notion of using spirituality has never been discussed in regard to
mediation in Japan before that year, although there are enough insights where those
precepts are understood and accepted by both mediators and clients. Based on such present
circumstances, this chapter articulates the suitability of the translations applied for these
English terms in the context of mediation in Japan.
This chapter first discusses the suitability of the currently applied Japanese translations, that
are seishin and transliterated spirituality, for the English terms spiritual and spirituality used
in the context of mediation. The applied term seishin often relates to mental, psychological
aspects, and whether this term meets the eight precepts generated in the textual analyses
is discussed. The following discussion in this section is to revisit the relationship between
the transliterated spiritualities used in peacebuilding and mediation in Japan.171 Provided
the meaning of transliterated spirituality are the same in both peacebuilding and mediation,
the mediators who use the terms in the context of Japanese-speaking mediation may be
categorised and recognised the same as peacebuilders. If their meanings are different, it
poses the question on the suitability of the translation. The third discussion is on the
relationship between transliterated spirituality and religion in the context of Japanese-
speaking mediation.
As already mentioned in Chapter 2, transliterated spirituality, which has currently been
applied as its translation, has only been used since the late 1970s (Shimazono, 2012). On the
other hand, Japan’s mediation practice had already been used long before then although it
171 To reiterate, the same transliterated spirituality has been used in both peacebuilding and mediation which are not the same professions. By using the same term, the border between the two professions has become ambiguous.
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only admits some of the generated precepts of spirituality as discussed in the previous
chapter. Should the present thesis find the transliteration, a relatively new word, as more
suitable for the English terms spiritual or spirituality in the Japanese-speaking mediation
context, the findings mean that spirituality has nothing to do with mediation conducted
before the 1970s.
However, such finding appears rather odd already for two reasons. First, there has been no
significant change then as observed in Chapter 5. Secondly, the question was already evident
in that chapter as to whether the term reisei can be better suited as a translation for the
English terms ‘spiritual’ and ‘spirituality’ used by Lois Gold (1993 and 2003) and Mark S.
Umbreit (1997 and 2001) due to the letter rei (霊). Thus, the subsequent sections articulate
what reisei is and whether this other term, reisei, should be used as a Japanese translation
of the English term spirituality in the mediation context.
6.2 Revisiting the currently applied translations with the eight precepts
Based on the findings so far, do the currently applied Japanese translations used in its
mediation context for the English terms spiritual or spirituality used by Lois Gold and Mark
S. Umbreit convey what the two authors mean by these terms in the Japanese-speaking
mediation context?
6.2.1 Does the term seishin convey the eight precepts? The meanings of the term seishin were discussed in Chapter 1. All of the eight precepts may
be able to replace the English term spirituality with the term seishin, except for the second
precept. Without doubt, seishin, which is equivalent to ‘mentality’, ‘wills’ or ‘mind’ in the
English language, applies to anyone because all human beings have it. One’s mentality may
affect other people around the one both negatively and positively, and others can sense the
one’s psychological being or state without oral communication. Highly motivated people can
influence others through direct communication to achieve their purposes, and such
influences can be responded to better in safe spaces than by using threats and violence.
Such safe spaces need not be religious and will be non-judgemental. However, the second
precept causes difficulties if seishin were to translate the English term spirituality. The
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arguments as to whether seishin, which can be mentality, wills or mind, either includes, is
equivalent to, different from or interchangeable with, religions do not make much literal
sense.
The term seishin indicates psychological or mental conditions or states of human beings. In
the research on spirituality in the field of mental health welfare by Hashimoto (2014), the
terms seishin and the transliterated spirituality were clearly distinguished. While the former
referred to mental states of human beings, the latter was used to translate the English term
spirituality used in the English resources published in the field. Nonetheless, the meaning of
‘spirituality’ in this context is not the same as the eight precepts identified in this research.
However, the important point here is that, in Japanese research using both English and
Japanese resources, those two Japanese terms are not used as synonym (see Tazaki,
Matsuda and Nakane, 2001 and 2002).
The English terms spiritual or spirituality concerned in the present thesis are those used by
Gold (1993 and 2003) and Umbreit (1997 and 2001) do not refer to any psychological or
mental conditions of their clients during the mediation sessions they experienced because
of their clear distinction between mediation and psychotherapy. In Gold’s (1993) view, the
psychological pain and mental state exist separately and independently from her discussion
of spirituality in the context of mediation. Gold (2003: 210) described the language of the
spiritual reaches the deeper part of the psyche of her clients; she is trying to indicate the
process of accessing something more than seishin or the mind of her clients. Similarly,
Umbreit (2001) stressed, while admitting there was a positive implication from client-
centred psychotherapy of Carl Rogers toward mediation in general, the humanistic
mediation model does not require mediators to work on the clients’ emotional reasons for
disputing with others, which are often caused by or originated from their past events or
experiences. Such work is left for therapists (Umbreit, 2001: 7).
When the Japanese terms seishinteki or seishin translate the English terms spiritual or
spirituality, those Japanese terms, despite having been used as translations for those English
terms, risk distorting those authors’ arguments as whole. This is setting aside the point that
the term seishin fails to make any literal sense should it be used in the second precept.
Although the references to those English terms by either Gold (1993 and 2003) or Umbreit
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(1997 and 2001) were only a component and do not form the whole framework of their
published opinions, that part is an important element in contributing to shaping their
arguments. In a similar manner for healthcare professionals (Tazaki, Matsuda, and Nakane:
2001 and 2002), the term seishin does not reflect what those two authors tried to convey in
their English publications, either. In order to translate the English terms spiritual and
spirituality used by those two authors, the present thesis found the term seishin as
inadequate.
In discussing the meaning of seishin, which was a relatively new word at that time, Suzuki
(1944/1972) describes it as thus having come to contain various meanings. Although this
was written over 70 years ago, his subsequent paragraph discussing what seishin meant
reads as:
So, without stopping to consider whether seishin meant kokoro or tamashii, the Japanese have combined characters and coined new words indiscriminately, under pre-text that the old forms were euphonically uninteresting, etc. Indiscriminate new word combinations have been and still are being manufactured, consciously and unconsciously, in all cultural quarters. Once they are coined-even though they might have been intended for just a short period of use-vested interests form around them which become highly difficult to remove. Though they might be inconvenient or even inappropriate, their power to live on becomes more and more tenacious as time passes (Suzuki, 1944/1972: 13, emphasis in the original, but in italic letters).
What Suzuki (1944/1972) described about seishin in 1944 seems still applicable to the shown
situation in the present thesis. However, in modern Japan, the word seishin is used as a
translation of the English term spirituality in addition to the multiple meanings it already had
in 1944. As a result, despite Suzuki’s clear distinction between seishin and reisei, both seishin
and the transliterated spirituality ironically became the synonyms of reisei which was
translated as ‘spirituality’ in English in Suzuki’s 1972 book.
The transliterated spirituality together with seishin used in the context of Japanese-speaking
mediation might be simply another example of such ‘manufactured’ words in Suzuki’s words
bearing the vested interests which are to accommodate the English term spirituality used by
foreign mediators in the Japanese-speaking mediation contexts. Whether Daisetz Suzuki
might agree or might not, with such a view is outside of the research focus of the present
thesis, yet the current situation of the Japanese language in relation to what is expressed by
the English terms spiritual and spirituality is mystifying.
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The next subsection discusses the suitability of transliterated spirituality even though it has
already been used to translate the English term spirituality in both fields of peacebuilding
and mediation.
6.2.2 Transliterated spirituality shared with peacebuilding Unlike the term seishin, the suitability of transliterated spirituality as a translation for the
English term spirituality cannot be analysed simply by arguing the meanings of transliterated
spirituality in the mediation context. Transliteration enables the Japanese language to
transplant the original foreign word by making the word as a Japanese word. Thus,
transliterated spirituality should not be questioned as to whether it can be used as a
replacement of the English term. According to Japanese scholars as discussed in Chapter 2,
transliterated spirituality changes its meaning depending on the context in which it is used.
Similarly, as articulated in Chapter 3, the meanings of the English term spirituality are also
context-bound in nature, if not user-dependent. According to Hayashi (2007), the reason
why each transliterated spirituality bears different meanings and it is not possible to find
any commonality across such diverse applications, is the original term did not and still does
not establish its independent meaning. The textual analyses discovered each user used these
terminologies to convey their opinions, albeit different.
Therefore, or perhaps because of that, the issues with transliterated spirituality in the
context of Japanese-speaking mediation are not in the term itself or with the diverse fields
or contexts in which the term is originally used, but the variances in available translations in
the Japanese language. The same transliterated spirituality has been used in different fields
without fixing their meanings in each field. Mediation as a profession particularly concerns
with peacebuilding and religious studies. Spirituality in peacebuilding in Japan falls in the
second category of the New Spiritual Movements and Culture suggested by Shimazono
(2007b and 2012).172 Spirituality used by Lois Gold and Mark S. Umbreit does not attempt
any commercialisation or commodification of their services and does not fall in the first
sector suggested by Shimazono (2007b and 2012). It is arguable, though, as to whether those
mediators’ spirituality meets the second sector identified by Shimazono (2007b and 2012)
in the same way as spirituality used in peacebuilding. The expectations of using mediation
172 This was in Chapter2. As for a reminder, the first category of the New Spiritual Movements and Culture includes sectors where transliterated spirituality is used to achieve more privatised healing and enlightenment in commercialised forms or commodities; the second is in more secular sectors where caring professionals actively use it to achieve pacifism in people’s internal self (Shimazono, 2012; see also, Shimazono, 2007a).
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in Japanese society revealed in the previous chapter included maintaining harmony in the
community which consist of the complex nature of what is moral or not based on the senses
of wa, giri, and sekentei. These senses can be summarised as pacifism as they are to pursue
a sense of harmony.
However, as seen in Chapter 3, the textual analyses did not reveal any proposals put forward
by those two authors to use spirituality to achieve peace and reconciliation. What those
authors discussed in their publications was to describe their mediation experience by
retrospectively selecting the term spiritual or spirituality. Both Gold (1993 and 2003) and
Umbreit (1997 and 2001) emphasised the importance of spirituality based on their past
experiences yet did not propose to use spirituality as a mediator to achieve the settlements
in mediation. What they proposed were respectively to use healing and humanistic
mediation model in mediation sessions. In either of their arguments, spirituality appeared
as a component of their main arguments, which are on how to conduct mediation.
Although eight precepts were generated to understand the meaning of the terms spiritual
and spirituality, the presence of those precepts in the mediation sessions do not promise
the mediator would use the terms spiritual or spirituality to describe his or her mediation,
either. When using spirituality to describe mediation, regardless of whether it is indigenous
or non-indigenous mediation, mediators did not argue to enforce pacifism during their
mediation sessions. To state the obvious here, although mediators use numerous
techniques such as listening, summarising, questioning, reality testing, reframing,
mutualising, normalising, or even gestures, moods, and other forms of rituals (Brigg,
2003:292-298; Fisher, 2000; McGuigan and Popp: 2012; O'Leary, 2014:27; Simmel, 1950:
149; Wada and Nakanishi, 2016; Wada and Nakanishi, 2010; Whatling, 2012), they do not
force their opinions onto their clients.
Instead, mediators apply ‘symbols’ which include, but are not limited to, rituals, visual arts,
metaphors, stories or verbal and body language communication (Jones, 2009: 153-155;
Fisher, 2000: 88; Nudler, 1993: 4) and unique seating arrangements (Roberts and Palmer,
2005: 173-174). By using those techniques and strategies, mediators bring disputing parties
to the common arena to recognise their issues and find solutions by themselves. The
importance of a mediator’s interpreting role to bridge the differences which caused the
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dispute between the clients attending the mediation sessions (Nudler, 1993: 5). Again,
Umbreit (2001) cautioned mediators not to initiate the importance of spirituality in the
mediation sessions based on their own perceptions.
Mediation would not allow pacifism to be used in combination with, or as an indication of,
spirituality. A mediators’ professional intention to engage in dispute settlements through
mediation is purely to attend the negotiation between the disputants to settle their issues.
Their role is not to judge their clients based on the mediator’s own opinions, including those
of pacifism, and they do not need to share with their prospective clients their personal views
on what peace is. To this end, there is no need for them to express the ethos of their entire
practice by sharing the view of pacifism nor using the terms spiritual or spirituality unless
they are asked to do so by their prospective clients.
In other words, pacifism in mediation not only can exist independently without those terms
but also is not required to conduct mediation. It is their clients’ choice to have pacifism
because that decision, including whether to initiate mediation sessions, is left to them.
Despite the overlapping nature between peacebuilding and mediation, spirituality used in
the context of mediation does not quite fall in either of Shimazono’s two categories which
were described as a walk-away path from salvation, often offered by religions (Shimazono,
2007b and 2012).
Furthermore, neither Umbreit (1997 and 2005), who suggested taking a humanistic
approach in dispute resolution, nor Gold (1993 and 2003), whose spirituality focuses on the
language of soul in healing paradigm, resembled their spirituality with love in the same way
as Diamond (2000). Although Gold (1993 and 2003) referred to the word love as a uniting
principle in her suggested healing paradigm, her spirituality remained independent. Because
peacebuilding used transliterated spirituality to introduce the notion expressed by the
English terms spiritual and spirituality earlier than 2007 (see for instance, Diamond, 2002),
the transliteration used by peacebuilding scholars in Japan might have influenced Japan’s
mediation scholars when understanding the same English terms in the mediation context as
shown in Ishihara’s association between spirituality and love (as cited in Kumamoto Jinzai
Shinbun, 2012). Ishihara’s parallel use of love and spirituality in the Japanese-speaking
mediation context may further confuse the public audience. Those audiences are already
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bemused by the ever-changing meanings of the context bound transliterated spirituality
(Kashio, 2012; Sakurai, 2012), regarding the differences between peacebuilders aiming at
achieving reconciliation and mediators attending the negotiation between the disputants
who try to settle their dispute.
The same transliterated spirituality used respectively in peacebuilding and mediation in
Japan holds different meanings. At this point in the argument, further important points must
be addressed by using the eight precepts of spirituality in the Japanese-speaking mediation
context. Although the non-indigenous mediation’s spirituality shows some attributions to
spirituality used in peacebuilding, the meaning of transliterated spirituality used in
peacebuilding, which was discussed in Chapter 2, does not match the spirituality used in
indigenous mediation such as some selected elderly members possess the spiritual power
to communicate with the ancestry’s spirits. Umbreit (1997), whose usage of spirituality was
introduced to the context of Japanese-speaking mediation, did not discriminate and
included both indigenous and non-indigenous spirituality used in the mediation context by
focusing on the commonalities rather than differences. The importance of not initiating any
notion regarding spirituality during mediation sessions, cautioned by Umbreit (2001), means
to be sensible toward any differences hidden in the term spirituality.
As observed in the field of peacebuilding, the localisations of the introduced notion are
attempted by reflecting the idea into Japanese society, considering the issues existing in
society, and using the familiar diagram applying the horizontal and vertical axes. The overlap
of the similar two axes applied in peacebuilding and religious studies further mislead the
audience in judging whether peacebuilding practices are religious practices or vice versa. As
seen in the second precept discussed in Chapter 3, the relationship of spirituality with
religions in mediation overlaps with Ando’s (2006) four categories of the relationship.173 The
concept of settling the issues by shifting consciousness to a higher level in a safer mediation
space where people have a sense of sacredness as summarised as the fifth, sixth and seventh
precepts may also appear to be overlapping with those two sets of axes of peacebuilding
and religious studies. This is even though those two authors, Gold and Umbreit, display no
religious impulse in their publications.
173 To reiterate, the four categories are that the transliterated spirituality includes religion, both overlaps although partially different, religion contains spirituality, or both are different
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Because of these overlaps, ‘spirituality’ used in the Japanese-speaking mediation context,
therefore, risks being compared with religions even though mediation based on religious
faiths remains a faith-based mediation model and an application of spirituality is not
necessarily fixed to that model. In fact, Umbreit’s mediation trainings held in Kumamoto,
Japan, in 2017 attracted participants with their own religious faiths (Ishihara, 2017a).
Judging the application of transliterated spirituality in the context of mediation by the
people of Japan can be solely based on the extended ideal of being ‘religious’ or ‘non-
religious’ (Lewis, 2018: 304). Even though in Lewis’s (2018: 304) words, they may have
reached the point of understanding, “deeper than distinction between ‘religious’ and
‘secular’, or ‘the sacred’ and ‘the profane’”, their binary classification as being either
religious or non-religious does not so easily fade away (Horie, 2018).
Spirituality used in the English-speaking mediation context is at risk of being replaced with
religions or ‘something religious’ in the Japanese-speaking mediation context because of the
existing transliterated spirituality in other fields, despite the clear distinction between faith-
based mediation and what Gold (1993 and 2003) and Umbreit (1997 and 2001) claimed by
using those terms. Indigenous spirituality would have been diminished if the transliterated
term were understood as something religious. When translating the English terms spiritual
and spirituality as used in the context of mediation into the Japanese language, more
academic and professional attention might have been required on how those terminologies
were used in the English-speaking mediation context. As rightly pointed out for health care
professions by Tazaki, Matsuda, and Nakane (2001 and 2002), introducing the idea by
randomly translating those terms may as well risk undermining the professional credibility
of mediators in Japan.
Considering the discussions in this section thus far, the term reisei, although described in
detail by Daisetz Suzuki (1944/1972), may be a better suited Japanese translation than the
term seishin or the transliterated spirituality for the English term spirituality used in the
context of mediation. In order to discuss the consequence of applying such a term in the
context of Japanese-speaking mediation, the following subsection articulates how vaguely
the people in Japan recognise their own religion or faith (Lewis, 2018; Nakamura, 2012).
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6.2.3 Persisting issues about being religious or non-religious One solution to clarify the identified overlaps thus far may be by using the term reisei as a
translation of the English term spirituality and explaining the meanings in the context of
mediation. However, Lewis (2018) points out that the people of Japan use the binary
classification as being either religious or non-religious. “When we see an object we relate it
to what we know and understand, for it is impossible to do otherwise. [… we] would attempt
to explain it in terms of what [we] knew” (Jackson, 2011: 86). Flew (1975) also states that
religious experience seems, “to depend on the interests, background and expectations of
those who have them rather than on anything separate and autonomous” (Flew, 1975 as
cited by Jackson, 2011: 85).
For example, the following passage may be understood differently depending on the readers’
views on religion:
Law reflects but in no sense determines the moral worth of a society. The values of a reasonably just society will reflect themselves in a reasonably just law. The better the society, the less law there will be. In Heaven there will be no law, and the lion will lie down with the lamb. The values of an unjust society will reflect themselves in an unjust law. The worse the society, the more law there will be. In Hell, there will be nothing but law, and due process will be meticulously observed. (Holmes, 1881 being paraphrased by Gilmore, 1977/1917: 110)
This paragraph in Gilmore (1977/1917), a commercial lawyer then teaching at Yale Law
School, on Heaven and Hell, came from his knowledge of religious doctrines. Restricting this
paragraph to Religious Studies and not locating in Law as an academic discipline undermines
the value of his experiences and knowledge as a lawyer. Likewise, limiting this paragraph to
the understanding of socio-legal aspects also ignores the influences of religions and
religiosity on people and their importance. Therefore, in order to further deepen the
understanding of the issues caused by the binary classification of Japanese-speaking people
when they face the notion of using spirituality in the context of mediation, this subsection
discusses how the overlap, the transliterated spirituality and religions, in the mediation
context impacts on Japanese-speaking mediation.
The discussion should start with the story shared by Nitobe (2004/1899) when he had to
explain to his Christian friends in the USA how Japan educated its citizens without relying on
religion. He said that Bushido was used in place of religion. 174 Nitobe (2004: 1899: 6)
174 The Japanese translation of Bushido is 武士道.
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explained as “Military-Knight-Ways – the ways which fighting nobles should observe in their
daily life as well as in their vocation; in a word, the “Precepts of Knighthood,” the noblesse
oblige of the warrior class”. Samurai culture is no longer evident in modern Japan although
its tradition may remain in the country. 175 As Bushido no longer exists, people attend
compulsory school education between the ages of six and fifteen in today’s Japan.
In order to achieve such an aim, some schools introduced Emoto’s (2001/1999) water
experiments as moral education class-room materials and the introductions caused
sensational debates as to whether such should be used in a class-room setting to teach
pupils and students morality and ethics (Kikuchi, 2016).176 Why do they not introduce any
religions to replace Bushido then?
Article 20(3) of the Constitution of Japan states, “[t]he State and its organs shall refrain from
religious education or any other religious activity” but does not mean to undermine the
importance of religious education or religions. Article 23 of the Constitution states that,
“[a]cademic freedom is guaranteed”, and the Basic Act on Education 2006 Article 15 under
the heading of Religious Education has two subsections; (1) “[r]eligious tolerance, general
knowledge about religion, and the position of religion in social life must be valued in
education”, and (2) “[t]he schools established by the national and local governments shall
refrain from religious education in favour of any specific religion, and from other religious
activities”.
In private schools, religious education may be provided for pupils from Year 1 up to Year 6,
between the ages of six and twelve, under Article 50 of the Regulation for Enforcement of
the School Education Act (No. 11 of 1947). While privately funded schools can incorporate
any religion of their choice into their education policies and philosophies and give their
175 The Japanese translation of Samurai is 侍. 176 In 2014, Oshitani (2014a: 6-7), a scholar of Religious Studies and Education in Japan, introduced a similar episode to Nitobe’s. He was asked by an American journalist of Boston Globe how the Japanese people judge right from wrong. The journalist claimed that he uses Jewish doctrines to judge such due to his faith. Oshitani (2014a: 7) answered that most
Japanese people would refer such judgement to Ten (天), the literal translation would be somewhere above, such as the
sky or heaven, at the same time as reflecting on how other people in the community might think of kiyoki-akaki-kokoro (清
明心), ‘one’s clean faithful heart’. The journalist further asked Oshitani on whether he agreed with the concept of what
‘people in the community would think’ is ambiguous and whether such a ‘clean faithful heart’ could become a cause of terrorist attacks, perhaps hinting Kamikaze in World War II. Oshitani (2014a: 7) explained that such ambiguous targets would contain various standards for one’s judgements, thus the Japanese people emphasise moral education at schools without religion but relying on cultural tendencies of loving nature and respecting the law of nature. He also claimed that such ‘clean faithful hearts’ could have been the trigger for Kamikaze in World War II and urged the importance of educating the Japanese children and students to the moral standard of how a person with a ‘clean and faithful heart’ should be.
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students moral education based on these chosen religious doctrines, public schools remain
free of any religions and their influences.
However, all Japanese students who attend Years 6 to 9 of the nine-year compulsory school
education, learn about religions in social studies classes by, in most cases, using textbooks
published by recognised and authorised publishers by the Ministry of Education, Culture,
Sports, Science and Technology (the ‘MEXT’) (Oshitani, 2014b:44; Oshitani, 2016b).
According to the MEXT website, the market share of such social studies textbooks by those
publishers is over 90% (MEXT, 2009b). The education guideline issued also on the MEXT
website states that those social study textbooks contain sections of religions including
Buddhism, Christianity, Confucianism, Muslim, Hinduism, Judaism, and Shinto, to introduce
their origins, histories, current world populations of their believers and geographic areas, in
addition to some of their basic religious practices and historical facts (MEXT, 2009b; Oshitani,
2014b; 2016b).177
On contrary, religious beliefs, which the Japanese people have acquired naturally through
their everyday customs, are something based more on nature worship (Oshitani, 2014a: 4).
Some, if not a majority of, people in Japan do not particularly rely on any doctrines yet
recognise those beliefs and faiths as being more like rituals and practices which have been
passed on from generation to generation (Oshitani, 2014a: 4). According to the public
opinion survey conducted in 2013 by the Agency of Cultural Affairs, Government of Japan
(2015: 54-63), 72% of 3170 Japanese participants, male and female aged between 20 and
80, answered that they do not believe in any religion or have religious faith. A different
public opinion poll, Research No 960 conducted also in 2013 by Jiji Press Business
Department, found that 50% of 1271 participants including both males and females of at
least 20 years of age, did not believe in any religions and have no belief in any religious
doctrines (the Cabinet Public Relations Office of the Japanese Government, 2014). Results
from another poll in 2018, which has been conducted once every five years since 1973, using
the same questions and same methods, shows that only 25.9% of 2751 participants including
177 For example, the basic practices and introductory facts include, but not limited to, the codification of the Seventeen-article constitution by Prince Shōtoku was largely affected by Buddhism belief and doctrines of Confucianism, celebrating Christmas and Easter originated in Christianity, Hindus believe that cows are a sacred animal, Jewish people living in Germany suffered because of the holocaust, Muslims do not eat pork and pray five times a day, Shinto has some links to animism and so on (Oshitani, 2014b; 2016b).
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both male and female and being 16 years or older, answered that they do not believe in any
religion or have religious faith (Japan Broadcasting Corporation, 2018: 15).
As highlighted by those different percentages, the religious tendencies, preferences, or
practices of the people of Japan cannot be observed through surveys. The reason is better
illustrated by Lewis (2018: 1 citing Lewis, 1993: 59 and Lewis, 2013: 39) who conducted his
interview survey with a Japanese married couple. When Lewis asked one of his interviewees,
a married man, whether he had a religion and if so which, he answered that he was a
Shintoist because he had a butsudan.178 When his wife heard his answer she said that this
would make him a Buddhist not a Shintoist, and he corrected himself saying, “in that case,
I’m a Buddhist and not a Shintoist after all” (Lewis, 2018: 1). This example does not seem to
be a new trend in recent Japan. Daisetz Suzuki (1944/1972: 64) had already stated in 1944
that the Japanese people did not put much weight on their religions and claimed how
uncertain they were about their own religions.
In fact, there are households that possess both the kamidana and butsudan (Lewis, 2018:
269).179 In addition, many religious furniture shops in Japan sell both the kamidana and
butsudan in the same premises (see for instance, Kondo Butsudanten, 2006).180 Syncretism
as seen in those multi-religious behaviours is not limited to Japan (Sasaki, 1996: 267-268)
nor new as have been observed since the era of Prince Shōtoku (Tanaka, 2000). However,
an interpretation of those different statistics’ results in relation to their religiousness
(Agency of Cultural Affairs, Government of Japan, 2015; Cabinet Public Relations Office of
the Japanese Government, 2014; Japan Broadcasting Corporation, 2018), together with their
uncertainties over different religions including their own religion could be that the Japanese
people are becoming more ‘secular’ and atheist.
However, the Japanese people, who only learn about religions in school education, do not
mean to be atheist when they refer themselves as non-religious (Ama, 1996/2005;
Nakamura, 2012).181 Their religious consciousness or knowledge is deeply embedded in their
everyday life as custom and thus not recognised as ‘religious’ (Lewis, 2018). Lewis (2018: 63-
178 The Japanese translation of butsudan is 仏壇, meaning “Buddhist household altar” (Lewis, 2018: 337). 179 The Japanese translation of kamidana is 神棚, meaning “Shinto god-shelf” (Lewis, 2018: 338) or Shinto altar. 180 Similar stories have also been found in Sugawara (2003: 83-86). 181 As mentioned in Chapter 1.
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64) cautions, based on his research findings, that the knowledge of the Japanese people
about religions may not reflect what they do in their daily lives. When the Japanese people
refer themselves as ‘religious’, they mean to maintain “an exclusive relationship with only
one religion” (Lewis, 2018: 63). Those who self-declare as ‘non-religious’, still “visit Shinto
shrines at New Year, buy safety charms, observe ancestral rites at times or participate in
other kinds of ‘religious’ activities” (Lewis, 2018: 64 by citing Lewis, 1993: 270; 2013: 256).
These attitudes and interests are behind the rapid transliterated spirituality trend identified
by Gaitanidis (2012), Horie (2018), and Sakurai (2012).
The ‘religious’ activities of such ‘non-religious’ people in Japan are often expressed as their
‘customs’ without knowing that those activities originate from religious reasons (Lewis,
2018: 64). By looking into their ‘customs’ from birth to death, Lewis (2018: 334) concludes
as:
A mixture of underlying motivations and deep-stated cultural ‘key themes’ appear in a variety of individual circumstances and contexts to form the ‘kaleidoscope’ of religious behaviour observable on the ‘surface’ in daily life. […although there are individual and generational differences in such behaviour], all these social and individual patterns are like the waves that shift and turn the sand on the seashore but do not affect the mineralogical composition of the sand grains themselves.
These views may be better understood if taken with statistics reflecting the gaps between
what people of Japan think and do in relation to religions. In Japan, there is no national
religion due to Article 20(1) of the Constitution of Japan which promises freedom of religion.
In a survey conducted by the Japanese government (Agency of Cultural Affairs, Government
of Japan, 2015: 54-63), while 66% of 1591 participants said that they consider religious
beliefs and faiths to be important, the number of people who answer so, steadily increased
depending on their age; from 55% of the participants in their 20s to 77% in the 70s. In
addition, 45% of 1579 participants answered that humans can be saved by combining
scientific discoveries and religious faith (Agency of Cultural Affairs, Government of Japan,
2015: 54-63).
The aforementioned poll conducted by the Japan Broadcasting Corporation in 2018 further
reported that 30.6% of 2751 participants answered that they do believe in ‘gods’; 37.8%
‘Buddha’; and 5.7% any religious faiths or doctrines (Japan Broadcasting Corporation, 2018:
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15).182 As mentioned earlier, those who did not believe anything related to religions or faiths
at all was 31.8 %; however, only 11.5% of the participants answered they do not do anything
religious. The differences in these percentages highlight that some people do something
religious yet declare they are not religious. Among the total participants, 72% answered that
they visit their family members’ grave at least once or twice a year, 34.7% answered that
they wear objects such as safety charms and talismans, and 28.7% answered that they went
somewhere to pray for their own or other’s safety, business success or exam success (Japan
Broadcasting Corporation, 2018: 15).
Considering 72% of the participants answered yes to the question, some of the 31.8%, who
considered themselves as non-believers of religions answered they visited their family
members’ grave at least once or twice a year, although that is a very small number. While
Lewis (2018: 2) criticises that the questions used by Japan Broadcasting Corporation in 2013
on objects or fortune telling failed to categorise different types of deviation of the fortune
telling such as astrology, palmistry, name-divination and various others,183 this 2018 survey
results mean that some people do believe in their now deceased ancestry as spirits but
declare as they do not believe anything religious.
Furthermore, Shimizu (2016: 154) discovered that, based on her cohort analyses of the
survey done by the Corporation in 2013, an increased number of the younger generation
aged between 16 and 35 believe in miracles and fortune-telling regardless of their devotion.
There may be a new attitude among the population to respect something mystical or
transcendental in nature instead of God or the Divine of institutionalised religions (Shimizu,
2016: 154). Such a new preference grew because organised religions are now “increasingly
viewed with a critical eye” in a contemporary Japan (Nelson, 2008: 305).
Negative feelings of people in Japan towards institutionalised religions are also reported by
Numano (1996). People in Japan might categorise themselves as ‘non-believers’ of particular
religions but sensibly integrate religious, mystical, or spiritual ideas, practices, and related
objects into their everyday lives as part of their customs without a clear awareness of the
182 Multiple answers were allowed. 183 The Corporation uses the same questions for the survey conducted once in every five years.
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origins of these ideas and practices (Lewis, 2018: 334; Manabe, 2008; Nishi, 2009: 73;
Shimazono, 2007; Shimizu, 2016: 154-155).
The syncretism or polytheism discussed above may still not be recognised as their ‘religious’
tendencies by the people of Japan themselves, even though their seasonal events or
activities and everyday greetings have originated from religious practices. At some point in
the past, these became their customary seasonal activities (Lewis, 2018: 64). For example,
people in Japan may well visit a shrine or temple on a new year’s day, do Setsubun,184 where
people throw beans to get rid of evil spirits from their homes on 3 February, take part in St.
Valentine’s Day soon after that, visit graveyards in the middle of August which is called ‘o-
bon’ to welcome deceased ancestors’ souls coming back to ‘this world’ from ‘the otherworld’,
celebrate the Shichi-go-san on 15 November to purify children who reached those ages of
seven, five or three in that year,185 decorate home with a Christmas tree and eat a cake on
25 December, and prepare for a new year’s celebration by cleaning up the house and putting
various New Year’s decorations including safety charms such as paper streamers from Shrine
on 31 December (Lewis, 2018; Sasaki, 1996; Sugawara, 2003).
Not only these seasonal activities, their daily greetings such as “tadaima”,186 “okaerinasai,
otsukaresama-deshita”, 187 “itadakimasu”, 188 and “gochisousama-deshita” 189 also
originated from Buddhism (Rambelli, 2010). These greetings are claimed to have the “sense
of gratitude and contrition and related devotional practices purify the mind from afflictions”
(Rambelli, 2010: 68 by citing Taniguchi, 2002: 8). For most people in Japan, these are simply
everyday greetings which they use as a common courtesy, and those greetings are no longer
attached to religious practice. By participating in those activities or simply following the
everyday customs in Japan, the people of the country do not neglect and still respect
religious or similar sacred doctrines as well as their charms and objects although they often
declare they do not follow any religion.
184 The Japanese translation of setsubun is 節分. 185 The Japanese translation of the Shichi-go-san is 七五三, each letter means seven, five and three. 186 The Japanese translation isただいま, meaning ‘I am back’. 187 The Japanese translation is おかえりなさい, お疲れさまでした, meaning ‘welcome back, you must be tired from the
day’. 188 The Japanese translation is いただきます, meaning ‘thank you for the meal’. 189 The Japanese translation is ごちそうさまでした, meaning ’it was a good meal’.
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As discussed in Chapter 5, although some may welcome the application of spirituality, which
is translated as the transliterated spirituality or otherwise, in their context of mediation,
some of the population will be confused and mistake such an application of those terms for
faith-based mediation due to their, albeit ambiguous for the majority, conscious or
ambiguous recognition of religions or even unrecognition of them (Nakamura, 2012). This is
especially problematic in a society like Japan where the context-bound meanings of the
transliterated spiritual and spirituality have only vaguely been recognised by the population
(Horie, 2018; Nakamura, 2012).
Tsuruwaka and Okayasu (2001), whose research analysed spiritual care offered by English
speaking health professionals such as medical doctors, nurses, chaplains and social workers,
discovered the English term spiritual is used interchangeably with ‘religious’ in that field and
point out the danger of the Japanese professionals of the same field using the term by way
of transliteration unless the Japanese meaning included religiosity in its definition. As
reflected in those precepts generated in Chapter 3, those English terms can be used in
conjunction with religiosity in the context of mediation. However, it is not always the case
in the mediation context. In the Japanese-speaking mediation context in which the meanings
of the transliterated spiritual or spirituality and religions are both equivocal, the status quo
of applying the transliteration to describe the important elements of mediation practice risks
undermining professional credibility due to the vague, context-bound meanings at the same
time as confusing Japanese speaking mediators as well as clients.
The findings of the present thesis allow the mediators or scholars of the country to explain
the meanings of the English terms spiritual and spirituality used by at least Gold (1993 and
2003) and Umbreit (1997 and 2001) in the mediation context. However, as discussed in this
subsection, using the transliterated terms still persists as a risk of transforming all mediation
described by those terms into a faith-based mediation model due to vagueness in their
binary classification as being either religious or non-religious. The people of Japan seemingly
have lost, or possibly have failed to develop, their means to judge what religions are.
Nakamura (2012) describes the reason why their religious consciousness has been deeply
embedded in their everyday customs without practising particular institutionalised religion
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as that their origin of religiosity is in animism in the Jōmon period or worship of ancestors in
the Yayoi period.190
Even so, however, their equivocal religious awareness in the binary classification of whether
it is religious or non-religious still remains in the present day. Such an historical research is
important, yet the findings would not change the current situation which the Japanese-
speaking mediation faces as a result of introducing transliterated spirituality. When the
notion of using spirituality in the context of Japanese-speaking mediation is presented
without clarifying the meanings of the transliterated spirituality, the majority of people, both
mediators and clients, still rely on their own vague concepts of being religious or non-
religious in addition to their also vague, context-bound meanings of transliterated
spirituality.
While some transliterated spiritualities made the clear dissociation or kept distance from
religions, both traditional and new religions as seen in Chapter 2, the close analyses in the
present thesis revealed a strong association in the context of mediation between the term
and institutionalised religions due to faith-based mediation model although on other
occasions such an association is not always present.191 Those variances in the relationship
between religions and spirituality used in the mediation context were due to different
understandings and needs arising in the mediation context where religions can create, or
already is, the cause of the dispute.
However, based on the findings of the present thesis thus far, the relationship between the
term and religions in the Japanese language negatively impacts on people’s understandings
and perceptions. More specifically, the currently applied translations for the English terms
spiritual and spirituality used in the context of mediation confuse the audiences regarding
the nature of the mediation practice. The term seishin may resemble mediation and
therapies while the transliterated spirituality distorts the boundaries between Japan’s
peacebuilding, religious studies and mediation. These points are in addition to the already
identified inadequacy of seishin as a translation for the English term spirituality.
190 The Japanese translation of the Jōmon and Yayoi periods are respectively 縄文 and 弥生. 191 To be precise, the analyses in Chapter 3 showed that some non-indigenous mediators distinguished spirituality from institutionalised religions, and indigenous mediation had not even incorporated such a word, religion, into their spirituality because they did not have such a word.
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Transliterated spirituality is considered as a new, merging term of both seishin and reisei
(Kashio, 2012). However, in fields such as education, psychiatry, psychology, psychotherapy
and religious studies, transliterated spirituality has been used as a synonym of reisei (Horie,
2018; Matsumoto, 2016). In addition, the revitalisation of reisei by fading the frequent use
of transliterated spirituality since the 2010s is also identified by Horie (2018). The term reisei
may not promise the perfect translation, either. The present thesis thus requires
undertaking some balancing exercises over the appropriateness of each candidate term
because of the discovered controversies brought by the other two terms to the Japanese-
speaking mediation practice. In order to do so, the next section discusses the suitability of
reisei, the remaining of the three, as the translation for the English term spirituality used in
the mediation contest.
6.3 Examining the suitability of reisei By unfolding the term reisei, this section considers in light of the eight precepts whether the
term can be the better suited Japanese translation for the English term of spirituality used
by Lois Gold and Mark S. Umbreit in the mediation context.
The Japanese scholars of Spirituality argued the meanings of reisei taken over by the
transliterated spirituality due to the letter rei (霊) (Horie, 2018; Kasai, 2003).192 This letter is
also used in Japanese words to mean such as soul and spirits, ghost or supernatural being,
demon, apparition (Kasai, 2003), and those Japanese words have long been used in religions
(Kirita, 2007). Because of this letter, the term reisei has also become something associated
with ‘the other-worldly’ as a result (Ando, 2012; Horie, 2009; Ito, Kashio, and Yumiyama,
2004; and Kasai, 2003).
The incorporeal connotation of the letter rei (霊) has eventually become not preferred due
to incidents such as those caused by the Aum Shinrikyo in 1995 (Horie, 2009).193 Japanese
scholars such as Horie (2007), Nakamura (2012), Sakurai (2009 and 2012) and Shimazono
(2012) tend to refer to the incidents caused by those cult groups in Japan, yet there were
192 To reiterate, the meaning of this letter is something incorporeal, the supernatural and otherworldliness associated with religions (Horie, 2018; Kasai, 2003). 193 As discussed in Chapter 2.
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incidents caused by religions overseas as well. All of those major incidents such as the Iranian
Revolution of 1979, the Gulf War between 1990 to 1991, or the attack on the World Trade
Centre on 11 September 2001 were broadcasted and reported through media in Japan.
Around this period, the transliterated ‘spiritual boom’ occurred in the country. As discussed
in Chapter 2, there were social icons which used transliterated spirituality. The invasion of
transliterated spirituality in the areas which traditionally used those words containing the
letter rei (霊) occurred simultaneously as those words were being avoided and replaced with
transliterated spirituality (Ando, 2012; Horie, 2007 and 2019).
According to Horie (2018) and Kirita (2007), the term reisei has not been so frequently used
in both the daily and academic Japanese languages until recently. Indeed, Chapter 1
illustrated some examples of translations which did not use the term reisei to mean the
English spirituality (namely, as seen in Fujioka, 2007; Sakauchi, 1997; and Shimazono, 2010
and 2012b). This unfamiliarity with the term brings both advantage and disadvantage to the
Japanese-speaking mediation context when it is used. As seen in Chapter 3, the meaning of
spirituality used in the context of some indigenous mediation did include contacting the
spirits of dead. In the Japanese-speaking mediation context, thus, the meanings of the letter
rei (霊) in reisei may more accurately reflect what those mediators mean by the English term
spirituality.
Without doubt, the difficulty of putting what was described by the transliterated spirituality
into one category of ‘reisei’ is stressed although the English term spirituality was admitted
as being often translated as reisei (Nakamura, 2012; see for a similar argument, Tazaki,
Matsuda, and Nakane, 2001 and 2002). As shown in Chapter 1 and 2, transliterated
spirituality bears various meanings, and such an opinion reflects the nature of transliterated
spirituality. However, the argument in this section is whether the term reisei can better
translate the English term spirituality used in the context of mediation and not whether the
term takes over the transliterated spirituality in all the areas in which transliterated
spirituality is already used.
In order to further argue the suitability of the term reisei as a Japanese translation for the
English term spirituality limiting to the context of mediation, the following sections discuss
how Daisetz Suzuki understood and used the term reisei, the meaning of the term as
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intended by Suzuki (1944/1975) and whether the term can be used in light of the eight
precepts generated in Chapter 3.
6.3.1 Daisetz Suzuki and reisei Daisetz Suzuki used the term reisei in his book title, Nihonteki Reisei, which was published in
1944 and translated to Japanese Spirituality in the English language in 1972. This translation
of reisei to spirituality is described as one of his contributions (Kasai, 2003), yet Daisetz
Suzuki died in 1966 and did not translate his title to English by himself. Suzuki who translated
Swedenborg’s four books from English to Japanese used the term reisei to translate
‘spirituality’ in those translation (Takahashi, 2003), hence, he certainly knew the term
spirituality can be reisei in Japanese. Nonetheless, an analysis of whether the Japanese term
reisei can be used to translate the English spiritual or spirituality in the context of mediation,
does not argue Suzuki (1944) already knew what was explained by the terms spiritual or
spirituality in the context because Suzuki’s own ideals and arguments even changed at
different times as seen in his different publications (Yokota, 2018).194
Suzuki’s arguments since his speech in London in 1912 (Yoshinaga, 2007) to his late work
such as Shukyo to Gendai Seikatsu (Suzuki, 1958),195 had not changed much: deep concerns
over Japanese people losing faiths or identity (Okajima, 2009). However, his views towards
the soul seem to have been changed over time between his first publication, Shin Shukyoron
in 1896 to Nihon no Reiseika in 1948 (Takahashi, 2003). 196 One such influencer was
Swedenborg (Okajima, 2009). Suzuki’s arguments include his variances in identifying
whether the soul exists. While Suzuki (1896) denied such an existence, he (1913: 42-44)
translated Swedenborg’s soul as reisei. In Swedenborg (Suzuki, 1913: 288), ruby characters
of the transliterated soul in katakana letters were put by the Japanese characters of reisei
(霊性). In Japanese, ‘soul’ is reikon (霊魂) or tamashii (魂).
Suzuki certainly knew these words and distinguished them from the term reisei in his
publications (see, for example, Suzuki, 1944/1972: 13). Admittedly there were significant
influences from Swedenborg on Suzuki, yet his published translation or opinions did not
194 Yokota (2018) pointed out World War II might have pressurised Suzuki differently by making comparisons between his publications during and then in the post war periods. 195 The Japanese translation is 宗教と現代生活. 196 The Japanese translation respectively are 新宗教論 and 日本の霊性化.
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make him lose his own arguments as seen in Suzuki’s translation of one title of Swedenborg
(Divine Love and Wisdom) to ‘Divine Wisdom and Love’ in Japanese. This mistranslation
strongly reflected his opinions over the original publication. The aforementioned ruby
characters thus highlighted his will to make his readers understand that the term reisei in
his translation of Swedenborg can mean ‘soul’ in English language.
Takahashi (2003) and Nasu (2016) explain this intentional mistranslation of the English word
‘soul’ as Suzuki showing some consideration for other fellow Buddhists, who read in
Japanese and do not recognise soul, so they do not misunderstand the contents of
Swedenborg. For example, as seen in Dōgen's ‘Bendōwa’ in Shōbōgenzō (Nearman,
translated: 2007), 197 Buddhism does not recognise such an eternal, spiritual existence.
Suzuki’s ruby characters of the transliterated soul by 霊性 (reisei) might, therefore, appear
to be sensational.198 It is noteworthy here that Suzuki (1955) published Mysticism: Christian
and Buddhist originally in Japanese and translated in English in 1957, and thus the question
arises whether Suzuki’s reisei in his 1972 publication connotes mysticism.
Furthermore, another important point is the fact that his reisei has been translated as
spirituality in English and also used both academically and professionally, although not
generally.199 There is another word, dōshin, which is used by Ohsui Arai and is also translated
as spirituality in English (Nasu, 2016).200 Nasu (2016) compared reisei by Suzuki and dōshin
by Arai, who was also strongly influenced by Swedenborg’s theology yet discussed his dōshin
concept based on Christianity. She (2016: 42) concluded that both Suzuki and Arai share
common, fundamental understandings of ‘spirituality’, which is the universal truth hidden
in the core of inner quality of human beings.
Thus, both reisei and dōshin are the words which mean a universal truth as well as the
realisation of the truth; both are embedded in the inner quality of human beings (Nasu,
2016: 30 and 42). Reaching spiritual evolution can be possible by awakening what is called
either reisei or dōshin through the individual’s self-improvement (Nasu, 2016: 31). Both
197 The Japanese translation are respectively 道元, 辨道和, 正法眼蔵. 198 As many other scholars, Suzuki does not remain free from academic criticisms (see for instance, Kamata, 2006; Sharf 1993). 199 As discussed in Chapter 1 and 2. 200 The Japanese translation of dōshin is 道心.
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Suzuki and Arai also consider such individual self-improvement to awaken reisei or dōshin
contributes to the societal improvement as a result, and can be achieved through practising
religions, although Arai’s argument was Christianity and Suzuki’s Zen Buddhism (Nasu, 2016:
30-31). Arai’s dōshin has been actively researched academically only since 2000 when his
books, written in the late 1890s, were finally collected and published (Nasu, 2016). Arai’s
dōshin is thus still a rather unfamiliar word. Suzuki’s reisei should be the starting point for
the analyses of the present thesis due to its familiarity among the academics and scholars,
yet it is important to mention Arai’s dōshin in this section to show the concept expressed
and summarised by the term reisei is not something limited to Zen Buddhism.
Over 70 years since the original publication of Japanese Spirituality, the term, reisei, is now
widely taken over by the transliterated spirituality, which appeared in the Japanese language
in the late 1970s (Shimazono, 2012). Transliterated spirituality has been used in such a way
to lose people’s focus on what it means exactly owning the facts the term has born multiple
meanings rather than a replacement of reisei, which still remains an unfamiliar word for the
general public. As a result, the analyses and discussions in the present thesis so far revealed
that mediation as a profession in Japan is at risk of becoming a faith-based mediation
because of the perplexing transliteration applied as well as the people’s simplistic or
extreme judgements based on whether it is being religious or not. To this extent, Arai’s
dōshin falls outside of the scope of the present research and needs not to be considered in
the present thesis.
Taking the discussions so far in this subsection, then the application of reisei as a translation
for the English term spirituality in the context of mediation may not be desirable for three
reasons. Firstly, as seen in Chapter 4, mysticism does not apply to the experiences expressed
using the terms spiritual or spirituality by Gold (1993 and 2003) and Umbreit (1997 and 2001)
in the mediation context.201 Secondly, in indigenous mediation, the notion of spirituality
exists yet there was traditionally no word for ‘religion’ in their cultures (Shook and Kwan,
1987). Third and finally, the English terms spiritual or spirituality used in the context of
mediation do not necessarily mean to be religious. This point was evident in both Gold (1993
and 2003) and Umbreit (1997 and 2001) whose mediation practices are not categorised as
201 Please also see Abe (2015) for discussing mysticism in both Christianity and Buddhism.
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faith-based mediation. However, by other authors, these terms mean religious, can be
interchangeable with religions, and overlap with religions.202
Bearing in mind all those points, Suzuki’s reisei needs to be unfolded by anchoring the
following three concerns. Firstly, does reisei connote mysticism? Secondly, is the use
restricted to religions? Thirdly, what is the relationship to religions?
6.3.2 What is reisei? In Japanese Spirituality, Suzuki (1944/1972) first clarifies the differences between seishin
and reisei. In his own words (Suzuki, 1944/1972: 14-15): seishin does not contain something
material because substance cannot contain seishin, while reisei does contain and harmonise
both of seishin and material or substance. Seishin is considered as equivalent to psyche, spirit
or mind; reisei is described as encompassing the elements not included in seishin and having
a certain degree of universality although subject to the cultural advancements (Suzuki,
1944/1972: 12-14 and 17). When awakening reisei, the dualism caused by seishin disappears
and seishin can function in a true sense such as to feel, think, will and act.
This moment of awakening reisei, which is as a result of ceasing the dualistic world’s rivalries
and conciliating and fraternising the seishin and material worlds, was described as an
awakening of religious consciousness. This dissolution of dualism by awakening reisei was
described as religion; without reisei, religion is thus not fully understood (Suzuki, 1944/1972:
16-17). Suzuki distinguishes and separates reisei and religion although reisei functions as a
vital role to understanding and practising religion (Suzuki, 1944/1972: 15). “The intuitive
power of reisei is based on a higher plane than that of seishin. Seishin's will power is not able
to transcend the self unless it relies upon the support of reisei” (Suzuki, 1944/1972: 15).
Without awakening reisei, one can still understand religion with one’s seishin which would
not transcend the self thus may remain only a mere formality of religion.
202 Nakagawa (2012) reports religious education began using the term spirituality by considering that the two, holistic and religious education, both exist on a spectrum and are indispensable, even though spirituality in education is something different from religious education. Shimazono (2010) put forward the same account on the relationship between religion and spirituality in relation to arguing the ‘re-sacralisation’ in modern Japan. However, Nakamura (2012), contrary to Shimazono (2012), pointed out that the difficulty of putting what was described by the transliterated spirituality into one category of ‘reisei’ although he admitted the English term spirituality was often translated as reisei (see for a similar argument, Tazaki, Matsuda, and Nakane, 2001 and 2002).
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Awakening reisei is said to be the same for all humans yet the very process after awakening
it differs depending on how each seishin functions regardless of their nationalities (Suzuki,
1944/1972: 16). Awakening reisei is an individual, private experience. Although Suzuki
indeed recognises the influences from Zen and Buddhism which were imported from the
continent as a framework in which people’s reisei were awoken (Suzuki, 1944/1972: 18),
separating the awakening of reisei and the external means to create such a framework for
the awakening must be stressed. Reisei, which all people already have within themselves,
and the means to express it, are dispensable.
Although Suzuki (1944/1972: 94) admits nothing much could be said about Japanese
spirituality without Buddhism, awakening Japanese spirituality as a result of unexpectedly
coming face-to-face with Buddhism was assimilated to the growth of plants on earth.
Buddhism, a plant, grew in Japan because of its environmental factor, Japanese spirituality
(Suzuki, 1944/1972: 94). Buddhism in Japan is a borrowed shape of Japanese spirituality.
However, this shape is specifically formed in Japan by Japanese spirituality and must be
distinguished from Buddhism available in China or India, where grow their own Buddhism
(Suzuki, 1944/1972: 63-66). 203 Without the environmental factors, the plants will not
survive; yet that fact does not make the factors create the plants. Both are separated and
independently exist.
Suzuki (1944/1972: 19) describes this awakening process of reisei as “breaking out of the
shell”; “the mother hen pecks from the outside of the shell at the same time as the chick
pecks from within”. Although it is evident that Suzuki had been under the strong influences
of other intellects of religions and philosophies, including Emanuel Swedenborg (Sharf,
2005; Yoshinaga, 2002), that does not convert his arguments of Japanese Spirituality into
religious or mystical ones, either. In Suzuki’s own words, reisei and religious consciousness
can be the same except that “misconceptions tend to arise when we speak of religion”
because “Japanese do not seem to have a very profound understanding when it comes to
religion” (Suzuki, 1944/1972: 15). Suzuki (1944/1972: 15) continues, “[t]hey think of it as
another name for superstition, or that religious belief can support something, anything,
203 Please see Suzuki’s (1972) helpful assimilation of Buddhism grown in Japan and other countries to planting foreign flowers overseas such as morning glory, tulips, or chrysanthemums, which originally came from China to Japan and then were exported to European countries to grow in their lands, from pages 59-61 of Japanese Spirituality.
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which has nothing to do with religions.” What reflected religious consciousness is their
lifestyles (Suzuki, 1944/1972: 18-19), not a moment of sudden enlightenment.
Now, the three points led to this section regarding spirituality in the mediation context
should be discussed based on the analyses of Suzuki’s reisei made thus far. The first point,
whether mysticism plays an important role in Suzuki’s reisei, and the third on the
relationship between religions and reisei, seem to have already been negated by Suzuki’s
own words as cited above. By awakening reisei, the cessation of dualism occurs. However, it
is embedded in people’s everyday lifestyles, not a moment of sudden enlightenment. When
attending mediation, no participant including the mediator has physically or mentally ‘gone
off’ anywhere in such a way as to lose consciousness by being bathed in light. In analysing
mysticism and the eight precepts described by the terms spiritual or spirituality in the
mediation context in Chapter 5, such mystic experiences are least likely, if ever at all, to
occur during mediation sessions. What the eight precepts describe is based on Gold and
Umbreit’s past mediation experiences that their clients changed their ways of thinking and
as a result settled their issues in the mediation sessions.
In other words, those expressions shared by the mediators using those terms spiritual or
spirituality are not to pursue the claim of dualism but to indicate the exact moment of the
contradiction between seishin and substance as illustrated by Suzuki (1944/1972: 15). The
awakening of reisei is when “another world opens up on the far side of the world of seishin
and substance, where the two of them must come to harmony, though still remaining
mutually contradictory” (Suzuki, 1944/1972: 15). In mediation sessions, that moment seems
to occur at the time of settlement. “Spirituality reveres concreteness highest of all” (Suzuki,
1944/1972: 68), and the awakening spirituality requires experiencing the weight of karma
(Suzuki, 1944/1972: 75). This would be the reason who mediated matters.
The second point, whether reisei would apply in the communities where no religion exists
or existed before, is even better clarified by Suzuki (1944/1972: 16) who claims that the
awakening to reisei is subject to the advancements of each individual and not promised or
limited to the citizens of developed countries. In fact, he (1944/1972: 27) wrote that, “[t]he
ancient Japanese, a simple, natural, and child-like people, really had no religion. [When]
religious impulses for the first time stirred their [reisei], and the awakening of Japanese
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spirituality began faintly to appear”. This of course does not mean that people without a
word for religion are those who are described as ‘simple, natural, and child-like’ by Suzuki
(1944/1972: 27). Spirituality, or reisei, of the ancient Japanese who did not have strong
religious consciousness was not awoken (Suzuki, 1944/1972: 28).
As seen in Chapter 3, religions are not the only way to awaken human’s reisei, or spirituality.
When people have strong religious consciousness, their spirituality is awakened so long as
their religious consciousness or religiosity is something to provide them with an opportunity
of reaching their own reisei by dissolving the rivalry between one’s seishin and substance.
The difficulty is, in many cases, religion is concerned with formality, such as being
institutionalised and systematised (Suzuki, 1944/1972: 17; Smith, 2010). Hence, people
without a word religion can well experience the very moment of awakening reisei where the
word religion itself only means something categorised as a mere formality. This has been
evidenced by those indigenous mediators whose practices were described as spiritual
(Barnes, 1994; Huber, 1993; Shook and Kwan, 1987).
Religious experiences can correspond to the awakening reisei; without reaching one’s reisei,
religion corrupts to a bare formality. As shown in Barnes (1994), Goldberg and Blancke
(2012) and Huber (1993), spirituality used in indigenous mediations are now used in non-
indigenous mediation sessions. As seen from this argument as well, the clarification to the
third point has already been evident; Suzuki’s reisei was clearly separated and distinguished
from religions.
So far, this subsection showed Suzuki’s (1944/1972) meaning of the term reisei. The next
subsection articulates this term considering the eight core precepts generated in Chapter 3.
The discussions of the next section also consider the term’s usages in more contemporary
Japan, which is out of reach of Suzuki himself who is now deceased.
6.3.3 Reisei considered in light of the eight core precepts Suzuki’s reisei indicates something internal of all humans, although he described the
flourishing of Japanese people’s reisei was by meeting Buddhism. The distinction of each
reisei can thus be possible by observing external factors such as the same Buddhism in
different countries influencing each people’s reisei differently. Regarding the relationship
between religion and reisei, Suzuki (1944/1972: 19) metaphorically explained as “the mother
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hen pecks from the outside of the shell at the same time the chick pecks from within”. The
first precept generated in Chapter 3 can be explained by using reisei. In the second precept,
the complex relationships between the English term spirituality and religions in the context
of mediation were revealed. The condition suggested by Suzuki (1944/1972) for those two
to be in such a relationship was dependant on how people understand religions. This can
also be applied to the revealed relationships in the context of mediation.
Reisei, once awakened, represents how people live (Suzuki, 1944/1972: 18-19); it influences
one’s external relationship with others. In the context of mediation in which spirituality is
used to describe the practice, who mediates often matters. Suzuki (1944/1972) also argued
Prince Shōtoku’s harmony cannot be penetrated unless each achieved awakening own reisei
which is free from the self or ego and can be transmitted semantically from one person to
another (Suzuki, 1944/1972: 16). Reisei also fulfils the third precept of who mediates matters
due to their internal relationship with themselves which influences their external one with
others. Unless one experiences such a tough time of suffering in his or her life, one cannot
realise one’s own spirituality (Suzuki, 1944/1972: 75). Religious practices are a mere
opportunity for such reisei to ‘ignite’ and the opportunity does not have to be religious
practices (Suzuki, 1944/1972: 18). Hence, mediators are suggested to have experienced
struggles, griefs, or disputes in their own lives to understand the importance of the
connectedness (Gold, 1993 and 2003; Umbreit, 1997 and 2001).
The fourth precept referred to the influences given by the mediator’s presence to their
clients both semantically and non-semantically. In some indigenous mediation, such
influences can be made by accessing their ancestry spirits through the elderly mediator’s
spiritual power. The letter rei (霊) connotes ‘ghost’ or ‘supernatural being’ (Ando, 2012;
Horie, 2009 and 2018; Ito, Kashio, and Yumiyama, 2004; and Kasai, 2003), and thus, the
concept may not be so unfamiliar and better expressed by the term reisei setting aside the
point of whether people agree, understand or support such existence when it is explained.
Furthermore, people in Japan may not require much additional explanation as to how one’s
being may influence others without using direct communications. As discussed in Chapter 3,
there were experiments conducted by Emoto and others on how language conveys our
thoughts, either semantically, non-semantically such as in writing or even at a distance
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(Emoto, 2001/1999; Radin, 2006 and 2008; Takao et al. 2006).204 In other words, Japanese
society can accept, even welcome, such claims, as something important and worth including
in the textbooks to educate children of the country even if the research results have still
have room for scientific debates. Even Suzuki (1944/1972: 197) claims that “[i]f one's
spiritual insight is deep enough he cannot help but try to express that experience in words”.
Thus, the scientific trustworthiness of the claims made in the fourth precept would not make
much difference to the Japanese-speaking mediation context.
The fifth precept of metaphorically referring the sense of shifting to a higher level, although
it was only found in some of the non-indigenous mediators’ claims, was also described by
the awakening of reisei. As referred to above, the awakening of reisei is expressed by Suzuki
as “based on a higher plane than that of seishin” (Suzuki, 1944/1972: 15). At the moment of
wakening reisei, it requires a higher plane than what seishin has. Here, an emphasis must be
made on the point of those mediators not describing the actual awakening of their
spirituality during the mediation sessions; they used an expression of shifting to a higher
level as a description of how they felt as having happened with their disputing clients at the
moment of settlement in the sessions. Anyone who experienced such a ‘higher plane’ before
could have used this expression to assimilate the mediation experience.
The issue with applying reisei as a translation of spirituality described by mediators is in the
sixth, seventh, and eighth precepts because Suzuki (1944/1972) did not express how one
would ‘feel’ when awakening his or her reisei. However, in discussing how reisei awakens
and operates, Suzuki (1944/1972: 97-100) described that reisei is a name for an operation
which people can feel, but has no existence anywhere, and is something other than one’s
senses, emotions, wills, and intellect that is a slave of the will,205 but there is no precise
delineation between reisei and those functions.
As seen in Chapter 3, spirituality in the mediation context was observed in the safe and
sacred space and such a sense of sacredness or holiness can, but not necessarily, be religious
ones. Speaking about the Japanese reisei in the Pure Land Shin sect context, Suzuki
(1944/1972:102-103) continued that:
204 What is more significant is the fact that Emoto’s experiments have been used in the textbooks of moral, not science, education for the compulsory school education years since the end of the 1990s (Kikuchi, 2016; see also, Kasai, 2004). 205 For the detailed discussions on the relationship between the will and intellect, please read Suzuki (1946 and 1948).
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[Unlike the intelligentsia, those of the soil whose lives lived within reality were not concerned with the general feeling of uneasiness in society.] Their spirituality tried to grasp something fundamental outside the existing emotional life and insight and there to seek composure of mind. They were unable to sustain an interest in complicated argument, science, class structure, and the like. They were unceasing in their search for something capable of working much more directly and strongly on their daily lives. They might not have felt such a need consciously, but there seems little doubt they felt anxiety. A sensitive religious spirit could not help but notice this kind of uneasiness and anxiety rippling through the social consciousness. A heart spiritually pure and lucid and filled with love would have to be extremely sensitive to such a mood. […] The possessor of a deep and keen spirituality will likewise grasp directly and immediately those occasional shifts in the heart and mind of man. [… A] great individual spirit may be said to be a mirror in which the universal spirit, the transcendent spirit, is reflected. We may say that by viewing the working of the superior individual spirit it is possible to see the working of the transcendent spirit. […] Speculations and logic come afterwards, the first experience must be Absolute Love itself.
Experiencing this Absolute Love before learning speculations and logic hence denying
intellectuality is the awakening of one’s reisei (Suzuki, 1944/1972: 151), and this awakened
state was described as shifts. Those who have their own reisei awakened by such a denial of
intellectuality and also as a result of sustained vicissitudes in the process not only learn
themselves but also others as well (Suzuki, 1944/1972: 152). In this sense, mediators and
their clients can be in an equal position. Furthermore, as above, the transcendent or
universal spirit reflected on the awakened person experienced Absolute Love and, as a result,
can be sensible to other’s feelings. Suzuki (1944/1972: 152) called those who have awakened
their spirituality or reisei, saints. The saints’ state of awakening reisei with almost no fear or
anxiety due to experiencing Absolute Love indicates sacredness, if not safeness. Nonetheless,
his reisei is independent from religions as discussed earlier in this subsection.
The analyses of the suitability of reisei in light of the eight precepts generated in Chapter 3
now revealed the term reisei conveys better as a translation of the English term spirituality
to be used in the context of Japanese-speaking mediation. However, the notion described
by the English terms spiritual and spirituality are brought to full bloom in the country’s
mediation context depending on the reisei of people in the country as Suzuki (1944/1972)
described by saying Buddhism bloomed differently depending on each country. In other
words, the very same notion of using spirituality in the context of mediation may grow to be
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different in the Japanese-speaking mediation context from what has been originally
described by Gold (1993 and 2003) and Umbreit (1997 and 2001) in the English-speaking
mediation context. This point will only be observed by the passing of more time.
Before concluding this chapter, the next section discusses the potential consequences
should the term reisei be applied as a translation for the English term spirituality in the
context of Japanese-speaking mediation.
6.4 Is reisei a better translation of ‘spirituality’ in the context of Japanese-speaking mediation?
The incorporeal connotation of the letter, rei (霊), has already been repeated throughout
the present thesis. This would work as an advantage when articulating the meanings of
spirituality used by Gold (1993 and 2003) and Umbreit (1997 and 2001) who did not
discriminate spiritualities between non-indigenous and indigenous mediation. However,
such a connotation could cause some unnecessary reactions among Japanese-speaking
mediators or clients because mediation as one of ADR methods in Japan has been a law
dominant field which is not expected to be incorporeal or otherworldly.
The term reisei has not been used often as a daily Japanese word and the audience may not
have a concrete idea about what this term means (Horie, 2018; Kirita, 2007). Unfamiliarity
with the term reisei when used in the Japanese-speaking mediation context would benefit
the audiences who then require further information to clarify what it means. As discussed
in Chapter 1 and 2, the transliterated spirituality has invaded into so many areas and fields
in and outside of academia. As a result, people in Japan have been exposed to the different
meanings of the same transliterated spirituality and may have already developed their own
definition of the term. As Chapter 3 showed, the English term spirituality also requires from
the users their precise descriptions of what it means. The meanings of the English term
spirituality when used in the context of mediation vary depending on the user because the
term was used as a component to form each different argument and opinion by professional
mediators.
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There are also other fields using the term reisei together with the transliterated spirituality
despite the unfamiliarity with reisei and the equivocal meanings of the transliterated
spiritualty existing in the audience. As mentioned at the end of the section 6.2, those fields
are, but not limited to, education, psychiatry, psychology, psychotherapy and religious
studies (Horie, 2018; Matsumoto, 2016). Such an overlap with other fields causes a further
issue. Tazaki, Matsuda and Nakane (2001) criticises the application of reisei by citing one of
their research participants who described this term as indicating a notion which is irrelevant
to his or her daily life although its meaning may be guessed because it uses only Japanese
kanji letters rather than katakana letters.206 The participant felt that being questioned about
his or her understanding and awareness toward reisei, seishin, or the transliterated
spirituality itself, was troublesome and tiresome because such questions reminded him or
her of the religious groups soliciting new followers nearby his or her university (Tazaki,
Matsuda and Nakane, 2001). Despite their research was concerned with those terms in
health care professions, the audience is reminded of something religious when applying the
term reisei regardless of the fields (Kasai, 2003), and it is not hard to imagine those fields
includes mediation.
The argument then leads to why the term reisei should be better used in the context of
mediation. Although the undesirable overlaps with other fields, which already use both
reisei and transliterated spirituality, were identified in analysing both transliterated
spirituality and reisei, Japanese speaking mediators can have the opportunity to explain the
meaning of reisei and its differences from those used in other fields if they need to speak
what Lois Gold and Mark S. Umbreit meant by the English terms spiritual and spirituality in
the context of mediation in the Japanese language using the term reisei.
Gold’s (1993 and 2003) healing paradigm which was also applied in Umbreit’s (1997 and
2001) humanistic mediation model may be better understood by the transliterated
spirituality because transliterated spirituality overlapping areas include psychology and
psychotherapy. The sense of strong healing or relevant effects are included when the
transliterated spirituality is used. There are spiritual counsellors and therapists (Gaitanidis,
2011; Sakurai, 2012; Ueda, 2014), and anything can be described as the transliterated
206 Kanji letters such as rei (霊) conveys its relevant meanings in a similar manner as symbols while katakana only express
its phonetical sounds. For example, the transliterated spirituality is written in katakana letters and cannot be done with kanji because transliteration represents the word has its origin in foreign languages. This point was discussed in Chapter 1.
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spiritual from television programmes to motherhood (Gaitanidis, 2011). 207 However,
because of those commodification of the transliterated spirituality as a result of the rapid
trend of applying the term to anything, the application of the transliterated spirituality
implies Japanese-speaking mediation practices are being commercialised and commodified
should the transliterated spirituality keep being applied.
This connotation is inaccurate, if not misleading. While the mediators who decided to use
those terms wished to stress the importance of spirituality in their mediation experiences,
they did not intend to commodify their spirituality. This is also evident from the findings of
the present thesis as that spirituality does not create a new mediation model or group some
mediators into one category. As discussed in Chapter 3, the English terms spiritual or
spirituality were used by mediators in their original publications to describe their arguments,
but only as a part or component of them. Albeit the small component can and may indicate
something significant and thus was used symbolically, as shown in Chapter 4, it is possible
in the context of mediation to describe the similar point without using such a coding (for
example, Cobb, 2001, Ishihara, 2017b and Moore, 2014).
By switching to the term reisei which is written in kanji letters from the transliterated
spirituality in katakana, Japanese speaking mediators can also emphasise their awareness
of social situations regarding the transliterated spirituality used in pop-culture. Furthermore,
the term reisei also allows them to convey their sincerity towards spirituality used in the
Japanese-speaking mediation context. While the term reisei is used to translate ‘spiritual
education’ in Japanese and thus can be seen as a product of service in the same way as the
transliterated spirituality is, the areas in which the term reisei is commodified are much
narrower than the transliterated spirituality market. In addition, the overlapping with
spiritual education, reisei kyōiku, further stresses the use of reisei is possible as it can be
educated. This explains why spiritual intelligence was discussed as important to improve
mediation practice by some mediators such as Goldberg and Blancke (2012) and Hoffman
and Wolman (2013) as seen in Chapter 3.
Lastly, in the previous section, the suitability of seishin was articulated enough to the level
at which it should not be even considered as a candidate word for translating the English
207 As discussed in Chapters 1 and 2.
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word spirituality. As Suzuki (1944/1972) discussed, seishin is at the surface of reisei and is
ranked at somewhere lower than reisei. As Gold (1993 and 2003: 210) stated, what she
refers to as spirituality is somewhere deeper in one’s psyche. Similarly, Umbreit (1997 and
2001) described the core of his mediation model is to seek a deeper connection by using the
language of soul. Their spirituality refers to something deeper than what seishin can describe
in the Japanese language. More interestingly, their spirituality shifts upwards. It is, according
to Suzuki (1944/1972), reisei.
Based on the above, the term reisei is better suited as a Japanese translation of the English
term spirituality used by Gold (1993 and 2003) and Umbreit (1997 and 2001).
6.5 Conclusion This chapter discovered that the term seishin does not convey the meaning of the English
term spirituality used by Lois Gold and Mark S. Umbreit. The transliterated spirituality can
be used for the translation; however, the other areas which use the same transliterated
spirituality may distort the professional boundary. The consequences of overlapping with
other fields include that spirituality used by these two authors may be perceived as an
indication of something religious or non-religious in spite of the user’s original intention and
that their mediation may be categorised as the same as peacebuilding. By analysing closely
what Suzuki (1944/1972) means by the term reisei, this term is better suited than
transliterated spirituality for the translation of English term spirituality in the context of
mediation.
The application of transliterated spirituality appeared in the late 1970s and emerged rapidly
around the end of the 1990s but lost its popularity by the end of 2000s (Horie, 2018). The
introduction of the English spiritual and spirituality used by Lois Gold and Mark S. Umbreit
was made by Fujioka in 2007. This was the time when the transliterated spirituality was
blooming fully in so many fields in Japan as though it was about to become an established
Japanese word to translate the English term spirituality in the same way as transliterated
‘identity’ which is also written in katakana letters to translate the English term identity
(Ando, 2007).
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The variances in Fujioka’s translation of the English terms spiritual and spirituality might
have been due to her specialism which is in dispute resolution and psychology. Fujioka might
not have digested the topic on spirituality thoroughly in the English mediation context at
such a level to translate these terminologies. Similarly, it may also be easy to criticise Ishihara
who did not expand further why she used transliterated spirituality in a parallel to the word
love when discussing their importance in the context of Japanese mediation (Kumamoto
Jinzai Shinbun, 2012). However, issues with both the English term spirituality and the
Japanese equivalent terms should not and cannot be argued so simplistically by blaming it
on the Japanese users of the terms.
In fact, Ando (2007) attributes the equivocal, context-bound meanings of the term
spirituality to the recent and more frequent, if not selfish (Webster, 2012), uses of the term.
Due to their ineffability, those terms tend to be applied rather flexibly, randomly and
irregularly, without even considering the term’s meanings expressed in the source language.
As the transliterated spirituality trend tailed off by failing to establish one meaning across
different fields and contexts, more scholars in the late 2010s started using the term reisei by
replacing the transliterated spirituality.208 The findings in this chapter also follow this new
movement, which Horie (2018) describes as the revitalisation of kanji, in the context of
Japanese-speaking mediation.
Furthermore, by discussing the suitability of each translation, this chapter also had to deal
with tremendous volumes of information and resources on Japan’s societal complexities in
relation to those three Japanese terms. As revealed in discussing religions and religiosity of
people of Japan in this chapter, such a societal background also seems to influence making
such multiple choices available to mean ‘spirituality’. The Japanese-speaking people’s binary
classification as being either religious or non-religious may have prevented the development
of the terms which contain both religious and non-religious aspects, such as reisei. Discussing
this point has to yield to the future research for further discussions.
The Japanese-speaking society is sensibly responding to the rapid trend of transliterated
spirituality described as a ‘spiritual boom’ in a rather timely manner (for instance, Gaitanidis,
2011; Horie, 2007 and 2018), probably because they are very much interested in something
208 As already discussed in Chapter 1.
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spiritual despite the long persistent binary classification. Mediators who work with
Japanese-speaking clients should simply describe what they mean by the term reisei. What
is required more from the mediators working with Japanese-speaking clients is a precise
description on how their mediation can be religious or non-religious whatever they try to do
by using the term reisei. Nonetheless, such discussions are subject to the binary classification
and no one can predict the outcome of the discussion. Some may end up conducting their
mediation as faith-based despite their original intention was different; others may lose their
prospective clients unintentionally as a result of the discussion being judged by the binary-
classification. However, omitting such a description intentionally will result in
miscommunication, which cause more serious issues to the paid, professional services of
mediation.
If the notion of using spirituality in the mediation context brings such extra tasks to
mediators working in the Japanese-speaking mediation context, what are the contributions
of expressing the notion in Japanese? The next chapter articulates both contributions and
controversies by vocalising the notion of using spirituality in the Japanese-speaking
mediation context.
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7 Aftermath of introducing the notion to the Japanese-speaking mediation context
7.1 Introduction Based on the situation of Japan revealed in the present thesis, this chapter articulates the
contributions and controversies brought about by the translated notion in the context of
Japanese-speaking mediation. Through such discussions, this chapter aims at explicitly
illustrating the consequences of expressing the notion by the terms ‘spiritual’ or ‘spirituality’
in the context of Japanese-speaking mediation.
7.2 Controversies
7.2.1 Distorted boundaries between mediation and other fields The meanings of both transliterated spirituality and reisei are vaguely understood, if at all,
by the general public of Japan (Horie, 2018; Kirita, 2007). The former is due to the term’s
frequent use regardless of the fields in which it is applied and fails to establish its meaning
(Ando, 2007). The latter is because the term reisei has tended to be used only in fields such
as education, psychology and psychotherapy and religious studies as a rather technical word.
The origin of the term reisei is from Suzuki (1944/1972) whose arguments had long been
considered as fixed, or limited, to Buddhism. It was only during a recent academic movement
wherein the term reisei started gaining recognition due to the sudden increase in the
numbers of academic disciplines in which transliterated spirituality has been used and
started being replaced with the term reisei (Kirita, 2007). Without this rapid trend of
transliterated spirituality, the term reisei would not have gained much attention in the
country, either.
As a result of choosing transliteration to translate those English terms, Japanese-speaking
mediation is exposed to perhaps unnecessary issues and difficulties. The mediation practice,
which applies transliterated spirituality, cannot consequently avoid overlapping with other
fields such as the peacebuilding practice, psychotherapy and counselling. Without explaining
the meanings of the idea expressed by transliterated spirituality used in the context of
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mediation, the transliterated spirituality fails to distinguish mediation from other fields.
Further to that confusion, Japanese-speaking people’s binary classification also risks all
mediation practice described by the transliterated term becoming a faith-based mediation,
which is not accurate. However, by explaining what a mediator means by transliterated
spirituality, or the term reisei, a mediator is sharing the idea with his or her clients. This
makes mediation a faith-based mediation. Although such an initiation needs not to be from
the mediator, once the notion has been shared and mediation is conducted on that notion,
the mediation becomes faith-based (Goldberg, 2016).
Indeed, this research concluded in the previous chapter the term reisei would help the
profession more appropriately than applying the transliterated spirituality and seishin when
explaining what ‘spirituality’ means, as used by Gold (1993 and 2003) and Umbreit (1997
and 2001) in that context. The introduction of the notion by publishing their voices only
leaves a very narrow leeway for mediators to avoid being categorised as faith-based
mediators and cannot avoid being subject to the binary classification as being either religious
or not. In such a situation, using the term reisei which was originally used by Daisetz Suzuki
in Zen Buddhism may and will sometimes inaccurately lead the judgement of the mediation
practice toward being religious.
Furthermore, the term reisei still comes with the letter rei (霊) and the application of the
term overlaps with other professional fields such as Education, Psychiatry, Psychotherapy,
Psychology and Religious Studies, in which the term reisei has been used together with
transliterated spirituality. Such an overlap may cause further confusion to mediation as a
profession, to their prospective clients, and to the mediators themselves, albeit that the
term reisei has a clear origin and definition in Suzuki (1944/1972) as discussed in Chapter 6.
In Religious Studies, for example, both transliterated spirituality and reisei are used to
discuss religiosity in Japanese society.
In such a context, what is implied by the letter rei (霊), which means something incorporeal,
the supernatural and otherworldliness associated with religions (Horie, 2018; Kasai, 2003),
would bring more advantages than disadvantages to its users due to the nature of the
discussion. However, in the context of mediation, which is one of the ADR methods, the
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application of the term reisei may distort the focus of the professional discussion unless the
term reisei is clearly defined and explained to its audience.
To make things worse, Chapter 5 discovered mediation in Japan has been not only unpopular
but also not even considered for use in solving disputes such as one occurring in a
neighbourhood. Society may not even recognise the purpose and advantages of mediation,
or differences between mediation and litigation due to its unique development in Japan.209
With such a poor recognition of how mediation is conducted or even what mediation is, the
introduction of the notion of using either transliterated spirituality or reisei altogether
confuses people how mediation works as an independent field which seems already to
resemble peacebuilding. Mediators in Japan are still expected being a predominantly legal
profession and, thus, certified under the ADR Act 2004; the notion of using spirituality
discovered in this research is perplexing and not pertaining to what mediation currently
should be in Japan, either.
7.2.2 Misleading as if offering commodified spirituality in mediation Using the terms spiritual or spirituality in the field, or profession, of mediation, may mislead
its audiences in the Japanese-speaking mediation context by giving them the impression as
if the terms spiritual or spirituality create a certain type of mediation in a commodified form
of service.
By using transliterated spirituality, or even replacing it with the term reisei in the context of
Japanese-speaking mediation, mediation distorts the borderline between other professional
fields which offer services labelled by those terms in Japan. As a result, those terms applied
in the Japanese-speaking mediation context offer a wrong impression, as if mediation now
offers a service tailored as mediation in a similar manner to ‘spiritual’ education developed
in Education, or ‘spiritual’ counselling discussed in Psychology and Psychotherapy, or
‘spiritual’ care offered in Health Care. This particularly concerns because of the current
situation of the Japanese-speaking mediation context illustrated by Miyatake (2017). She
(2017) describes the attitude of the Japanese-speaking users as heteronomous and also
argues they thus prefer an authoritative approach, which judges and courts display to
209 This was already discussed in Chapter 5.
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resolve the issue for them, in third-party dispute intervention including mediation. However,
in mediation, the users should be able to settle their issues voluntarily.
However, such an inaccurate understanding or expectation of mediation are not caused by
the terms spiritual and spirituality randomly used in the mediation context nor by the
applied Japanese translations of those terms carelessly cited in various contexts. What
requires more attention is on the societal circumstances of Japan. As discussed in Chapters
2 and 6, the people in the country are interested in something religious or supernatural
including fortune-telling and would not lose their interests in something ‘spiritual’ despite
their antipathy toward religious groups or institutionalised religion. Their embedded
interests thus seemingly appear in different, flexible forms other than an established form
of institutionalised religion. One of the examples is the rapid trend of spirituality of applying
the transliterated spiritual or spirituality into almost anything (Gaitanidis, 2011). As a result
of that ‘spiritual boom’, Japanese society was flooded with various commercial products
which sold, and still sell, commodified spirituality in various forms (Arimoto, 2011). By using
the same terms, mediation can be observed as being a part of such a commodified
spirituality service sector, which may apply supernatural powers.
7.2.3 The binary classification deters from freedom of expression In the context of English-speaking mediation researched in this thesis, the terms spiritual or
spirituality form only one component of the whole argument of each and change their
meaning depending on each user. Understanding the meaning of this small component, or
aspect, of a different argument requires understanding each argument as a whole. The
component only bears its meaning depending on the whole argument.
Such an expression, however, may not be taken place freely where the argument is subject
to a simple binary classification of whether it is religious or not. So long as this binary
classification persists, mediation applying spirituality is judged whether being religious or
not. In addition, the judgement is made based on ambiguous recognition of what religions
are. This simple division deters both mediators and the users to use the terms spiritual and
spirituality in the Japanese-speaking mediation context. As for an example to illustrate this,
Umbreit’s video lecture, which was used in his training sessions in Japan, does not refer to
any of these terms (Ishihara, 2017b) despite his trainings attracted many participants with
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their own faith. Ishihara’s (2017a) article, which reports how Umbreit’s trainings went in
Kumamoto, Japan, does not refer any of these terms, either.
While the terms spiritual and spirituality can be omitted and embedded in the whole
argument without intervening the contents, the importance of using these terms are
nonetheless evident. Those authors discussed in Chapter 3 deliberately chose to use these
terms in their published arguments. If these terms are to be subject to the binary
classification, professional mediators would have been deterred from expressing their
opinions and sharing their experiences freely in the Japanese-speaking mediation context.
As the precepts showed, there are aspects in the component expressed by the terms
spiritual and spirituality which cannot be so simply divided into either being religious or non-
religious.
When the audiences keep applying such a binary classification, the presenters choose other
ways to express the same without using these terms. In this way, both the users and their
audiences can avoid misinterpretation. As a result, however, mediators only share a limited
knowledge and information with the fellow mediators in the Japanese-speaking context by
not vocalising what is important. In other words, the vital part expressed by the terms is not
visible in the arguments so that the audience may not notice the part. Although this point
may not be directly linked to the introduction of the notion using the terms spiritual and
spirituality in mediation practice, it is certainly the controversial point resulted from the
introduction.
Before moving on to its contributions, this section summarises the controversies brought by
the English terms spiritual and spirituality to the Japanese-speaking mediation context.
Those terms pose as powerful enough to integrate different fields into one. As a result, the
introduction of the idea of using spirituality in the Japanese mediation context causes a
series of issues which interlink with one another. In addition, the application of these terms
together with the existing binary classification in the people of Japan interferes Japanese-
speaking mediation with developing as a professional field.
Expressing the idea without using the terms spiritual or spirituality is possible, and thus the
notion does not need to be codified by such terms. The Japanese translation seems to allow
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some flexibility in not translating the original English texts literally.210 If this is the case, what
contributions are brought by voicing the idea in the Japanese-speaking mediation context?
This is discussed in the next section.
7.3 Contributions The same points identified as controversies in the previous subsection seem to contribute
to the mediation practice conducted in Japanese.
7.3.1 Reinstallation of the distorted boundaries Although the introduction by vocalising the idea with the terms spiritual or spirituality
distorts the professional boundary, mediators who use those terms need to be responsible
for their practice nature and also confident as a service provider in explaining their
professional approaches toward their own practice goal: dispute settlement.
Umbreit (2001) suggested that an initiation regarding spirituality should not be made by a
mediator. Such an initiation could become a cause of new dispute, if not worsening the
dispute that already exists, in the context of mediation. The notion described by the terms
spiritual or spirituality does not form a whole of the practical nature of mediation but
describe as one component of the whole. When mediators do not share the notion, the
component would not even be identified. When the notion was discussed retrospectively,
as seen in Gold (1993 and 2003) and Umbreit (1997 and 2001), the descriptions or meaning
of the terms become more precise and clearer because those terms illustrate what had
happened. Likewise, Ishihara’s parallel reference to the importance of spirituality as well as
love in her public lecture as reported in Kumamoto Jinzai Shinbun (2012) would not be
understood accurately unless Ishihara herself, not others, explained. Alternatively, her
audiences may ask her to clarify the meaning. In other words, the users of the terms spiritual
or spirituality can explain what they mean by the terms.
When the mediator wants to use the terms spiritual or spirituality as a part of his or her
practice model, that needs to be shared with and agreed by the prospective clients prior to
undertaking the instruction. This shared spirituality would make a faith-based mediation,
210 As discussed in Chapter 1.
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although it is not necessarily based on one particular religious doctrine. Reinstallation of the
distorted boundaries discussed in the previous section also becomes possible as a result of
such an open discussion. By establishing one’s own meaning by using the terms spiritual or
spirituality, each mediator can reinstall the distorted boundaries between mediation and
other professions. In doing so, mediators would be able to stress that they are not
commodifying their spirituality. This enables mediation to appear different from other
professions, which provide commodified spirituality as a form of service. By developing what
they mean by the terminologies, they can each tailor their mediation practice in a unique
manner to attract clients. This of course requires a future field research to identify any
market demands as Goldberg and Blancke (2011 and 2012) suggested.
7.3.2 Mother hen pecks the eggs in contemporary Japan While society recognises the importance of who mediates matters and tries to make
mediation a safe space, spirituality used by Gold (1993 and 2003) and Umbreit (1997 and
2001) was introduced to Japanese-speaking legal scholars and practitioners as well as other
members of the general public without carefully considering the suitability of the chosen
translation. What is more worth paying attention to is the very fact that Japanese mediation
scholars felt it important to introduce the notion by literally translating the English terms
spiritual or spirituality when they were allowed to freely do so. The question asks why those
terms needed to be translated in the Japanese mediation context in the first place when the
notion itself can be expressed without being codified by the terms spiritual and spirituality.
As revealed in Chapter 5, mediation practice, regardless of whether it is called by that name
or not, has long been used in Japanese-speaking society and the recent enforcement of the
ADR Act 2004 has shown their recognition of who mediates matters. Indeed, mediation in
Japan has been, and still is, predominantly a practice of law as an alternative dispute
resolution to the courts, and thus private mediation is heavily subject to legal restrictions
under the 2004 Act such as the certification scheme. It is not hard to imagine the
introduction of the notion of using spirituality to the Japanese mediation context might have
opened the Japanese-speaking practitioners’ eyes to see one new aspect of mediation which
has not been addressed before.
The introduction of spirituality into mediation has certainly caused a stir in such a field
predominantly considered and expected to be a part of the legal profession which requires
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the certification scheme as a desirable measure due to the existence of organised crime
groups. Ishihara (2017a) declared that, in the mediation training by Mark S. Umbreit in
Kumamoto, she had felt the private dialogues of each participant were spoken out of their
souls. By comparing Kumamoto’s sessions to the one held in Kyoto in which many religious
participants attended, she (2017a) further argued that religions or religious faiths alone are
not enough to reach the dialogues spoken in such a manner. In her view (Ishihara, 2017a),
this process of mediation is a journey of the soul travelled by those who are involved in the
mediation and, in order to complete such a journey, prayers are essential to aid the travel
process.
As seen in Chapter 6, people in Japan have not lost their interest in something invisible,
otherworldly and supernatural. Although transliterated spirituality now implies something
commercialised and commodified (Horie, 2018), the population, especially the younger
generations, show an unchanged interest towards something supernatural including
superstitious charms, talismans and spiritual places including shrines, and confess to praying.
Some even admit that they engage in activities which are described as religious while
declaring they are not religious. Some of these people may not even realise that their acts,
which are often referred as a part of their customs, are considered as ‘religious practice’.
These diffused religious interests and practices could lead to the introduction of the notion
of using spirituality in the Japanese-speaking mediation context by literally transliterating
the terms spiritual and spirituality. The introduction of the notion expressed by the terms
spiritual and spirituality has initiated the recognition of something which was not a part of
mediation in the country before: the importance of spirituality. Nonetheless, mediation in
Japan has not been under any influence of religion or religious practices, as seen in Chapter
5.
Suzuki (1944/1972: 13) described how foreign cultures, such as Chinese, American and
European, came to Japan before it fully developed its language as “rushed on in waves” and
proclaimed that, as a result, “there were not enough days in which to make up, helter-skelter,
all the new words for all the many things people had crammed into their heads. Such is the
condition that has continued to prevail to the present.” In modern Japan, the idea of using
the terms spiritual or spirituality in the mediation context can be described as ‘rushed on in
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waves’ to the country as well. As seen in Chapter 3, many mediators described their practice
experiences using those terms, but each argument is different. Although textual analyses of
Lois Gold and Mark S. Umbreit generated the eight precepts, and other publications on
mediation also supported those precepts, such precepts nonetheless do not generalise the
meanings of those terms used in English publications on mediation. Thus, the binary
classification used by the people of Japan may not accurately judge each of such a whole
argument containing spiritual or spirituality as a component.
Although this binary classification was anticipated as being eliminated and diminished by
transliterated spirituality in the 1990s (Morioka, 1996), twenty years on since such an
academic view was published, and the situation has not much changed as seen in Lewis
(2018). While the binary classification remains with people of Japan and the terms used to
express something spiritual change depending on the era, their interests in something
spiritual remain unchanged. As if to emphasise their unchanged interests in something
supernatural or in other-worldly matters, reviving the term reisei written in kanji letters has
begun among academic scholars since the 2010s as the transliterated spirituality trend has
gradually tailed off (Horie, 2018).211
In the Japanese-speaking mediation context, the introduction of the idea itself can be
considered as what Suzuki (1944/1972: 19) described as “the mother hen pecks from the
outside of the shell at the same time as the chick pecks from within”. In Suzuki’s argument,
such a breaking shell exercise would have been completed by now. However, religions,
including Buddhism, have become something not clearly understood by the people of Japan
although they still attempt to judge whether it is religion or not. As religions have not
succeeded in being a mother hen for all the eggs thus far in the society, some of those
unhatched eggs in which chicks peck from inside might have hatched as a result of
encountering the notion expressed by the English terms spiritual or spirituality. The
unchanged interest of Japanese people in spirituality could have been the motive for
initiating the idea of literally translating and explicitly using the notion originally described
211 It would not difficult to link this revitalisation of reisei to the fact that over 20 years have now passed since the late 1990s when many cult-related incidents occurred, including the sarin gas attack by Aum Shinrikyo at Kasumigaseki, Tokyo, and that those who committed the crimes were executed in 2018. The memories of the incidents, as well as negative impressions of religious groups, are now fading.
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by the English terms spiritual and spirituality in the Japanese-speaking mediation context as
well.
Because their interests remain the same but the term reisei have not been well recognised
due to Japan’s societal background from the 1970s to date, the notion coming from foreign
countries has been translated by using transliterated spirituality or the term seishin in the
Japanese-speaking mediation context. In a reverse view, such translation, which avoid the
direct connection to religions, allowed the audiences of Japan to express their long-hidden
interests in something spiritual without being subject to the binary classification. By
replacing those translations with the term reisei, which is clearly defined its relationship with
religions by Daisetz Suzuki (1944/1972) in his book, the situation even improves because the
meaning of ‘spirituality’ in the context of Japanese mediation has a reference and exists
outside of a particular religious doctrine.
This introduction of the notion of using spirituality which was suggested by Lois Gold and
Mark S. Umbreit in English to the Japanese mediation context by way of translation can, may,
and should appear as though bringing coals to Newcastle. However, for those academics
who have lived in modern Japan and studied overseas, such as Fujioka and Ishihara, the ideas
they came across in the foreign languages might appear as being something important, new
and advanced (Horie, 2009), which was worth being translated by using the transliteration
written in katakana letters to introduce to other fellow mediators in Japan. As a result, this
introduction itself works as pecks by a mother hen so that the chicks inside the eggs can
hatch easily.
The controversies brought by introducing the English terms spiritual or spirituality to the
Japanese-speaking mediation context can thus also be the contributions to the Japanese-
speaking mediation profession. These contributions and controversies are opposite sides of
the same coin of spirituality in the Japanese-speaking mediation context.
7.4 Conclusion Introducing the notion expressed by Lois Gold and Mark S. Umbreit using the English terms
spiritual and spirituality to the Japanese-speaking mediation context carry both
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controversies and contributions. By discussing each of them, this chapter concludes as that
the contributions may outweigh the controversies. By replacing the currently used
translations, the term reisei resolves both the distorted boundaries between different fields
caused by using the same translations and the misleading impressions as though mediators
offering commodified spirituality as a part of their service.
While the effects from introducing the notion to the Japanese-speaking mediation context
remain unclear at this point of academic development, it is evident from the recent progress
in the field that the notion has been accepted by Japanese speaking mediators (Ishihara,
2017a; Kumamoto Jinzai Shinbun, 2012). If considering this fact without understanding the
societal issues in its background, the introduction by transliteration itself could give an
impression as if it is a new idea from foreign countries. What the present thesis must
emphasise here is that the introduced notion is not a new concept. In fact, the idea itself
seems to have been in Japan as reisei long before the notion came to the country in 2007.
However, using spirituality in the context of mediation was and still relatively is new to the
Japanese speaking mediation context.
The introduction in 2007 was as a result of the notion successfully hatching the eggs of
Japanese scholars who went overseas and studied the English language. The notion worked
as a mother hen’s pecks, yet the chicks had already been inside of the eggs long before then.
This describes the reason why those scholars who studied overseas immediately recognised
the importance of introducing the notion by Lois Gold and Marks S. Umbreit to the Japanese-
speaking mediation context.
The real issue identified by this research is that Japan seems to have failed to develop its
own ‘mother hen’ to hatch the eggs which chicks peck from inside. Although people have
interests in something supernatural and other-worldly, they somehow became sceptical of
something ‘spiritual’ which can be expressed by the letter rei (霊) and developed the binary
classification of whether it is religious or non-religious. As a result, transliterated spirituality
and seishin were selected in the context of Japanese-speaking mediation even though the
term reisei would have functioned better.
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The notion expressed by transliterated spirituality or the English term spirituality had to
become the mother hen in the context of Japanese-speaking mediation. Mark S. Umbreit’s
2017 trainings in Japan attracted many participants with their own faith (Ishihara, 2017a).
The progress and development are favourable for those who try to integrate something
other than law in mediation in Japan. However, the question remains unanswered for the
reason that Japan has not developed, or perhaps more accurately has failed to develop, its
own mother hens, despite Suzuki (1944) confidently discussed the contrary in Japanese
Spirituality. This is especially perplexing considering the fact that the people of Japan still
maintain their interests in something supernatural and otherworldly and use the binary
classification as being either being religious or non-religious. What is the implication of them
applying such a classification? This question needs to be considered by future research.
Had the country steadily developed or preserved its own mother hens, using transliteration
might have been superfluous to introduce the notion of using spirituality in the context of
mediation. However, in the status quo of Japan, the notion was and still is considered as
new, foreign and advanced enough to be transliterated in katakana letters. Because the
introduction brings contributions at the same time as controversies, replacing the
translation with the term reisei as a revitalisation of kanji letters may gradually lead to
developing Japan’s own mother hen to hatch the eggs containing chicks which are still alive.
The subsequent final chapter summarises and concludes this thesis by briefly discussing its
final remarks and future recommendations.
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8 Final remarks and future recommendations
8.1 Discoveries through this research The purpose of the present thesis was to argue the suitability of the Japanese translations
used in the Japanese-speaking mediation context for the English terms ‘spiritual’ and
‘spirituality’. Focusing on the context and limiting the resource where the term originates as
narrowly as possible enabled this research to confine its arguments, which are to examine
three terms, that is, transliterated spirituality, seishin and reisei, in light of the publications
by Lois Gold and Mark S. Umbreit. This research concluded seishin is not appropriate while
transliterated spirituality may be used yet causing some issues to the Japanese-speaking
mediation as a profession. The term reisei is better suited to reflect the meanings of those
English terms used by Lois Gold and Mark S. Umbreit.
This research findings illustrate how complex the notion is when the English term spirituality
is translated in the Japanese-speaking context (Tazaki, Matsuda, and Nakane, 2001 and
2002). However, the textual analyses conducted in the present thesis revealed the similar
situation of the English-speaking mediation context concerning the terms spiritual and
spirituality. What makes the English-speaking mediation context even more difficult are the
broader geographic areas which the language covers in the modern era. As this research
discovered, there are more than 32 articles and books published in the English language to
discuss mediation and spirituality. They were published in countries located in various places
all over the globe. Nailing down the origin of the idea of using those terms in the context of
mediation within a specific culture, as a result, was not possible.
Furthermore, as discussed in Chapter 2, such a culture-based division separates people of
the same nation rather discriminatory into two or more in the mediation context. While Ito’s
(2004) ‘global spirituality’ and Shimazono’s (2012) New Religious Movements and Culture
explain borderless spirituality mainly based on perspectives from Religious Studies and
Sociology of Religion, what this research revealed was how user-dependently the English
terms spiritual and spirituality are used even in the one context, which is mediation. The
potential scenes when the term reisei, or spirituality in English, is used in the context of
Japanese-speaking mediation are as follows: in a faith-based mediation or in the lectures or
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publications on the topic. In each situation, the mediator or the speaker can, should and will
describe not only the meaning of the term reisei but also what roles reisei, or spirituality in
English, plays in their mediation practice.
As discussed in Chapter 6, the term reisei was defined by Suzuki (1975/1944). The meaning
of the term reisei can and will remain the same in the context of Japanese-speaking
mediation even though the term intersecting other fields. Any other unique thoughts and
ideas added by each mediator to the notion expressed the term reisei remain independent
because ‘reisei’ remains only one component of the whole. By explaining what the term
reisei means and what each mediator’s argument is about, the term would not mislead the
audience as if offering some commodified service.
The revitalisation of kanji letter, which means the transition from transliterated spirituality
to the term reisei (Horie, 2018), has been evident in Japanese academia since the beginning
of the 2010s when the transliterated spirituality trend, a ‘spiritual boom’, has gradually
tailed off. The application of the term reisei raises awareness of the people involved in the
Japanese-speaking mediation, regardless of whether they are a mediator or clients, toward
the fact something expressed by the English term spirituality already existed in Japan.
Although the term reisei still remains with the issue caused by the overlapping usages in
other fields such as education, psychotherapy, psychology and religious studies, by having
the concrete origin of the term in Suzuki (1944/1972), at least its meaning becomes clearer
than transliterated spirituality mushrooming in so many areas with succinct, nuanced and
context-bound meanings.
What the present thesis discovered as more alarming in the Japanese-speaking mediation
context is the fact that Japanese-speaking people, either as a mediator or client, may not
immediately recognise or understand the meaning of ‘spirituality’, even as either the term
reisei or the form of transliteration, in the context. They may only extend their binary
classification, which is formed on their vague, ambiguous understandings of religions and
religiosity, to judge the notion presented as being either religious or non-religious. To this
extent, it is vital for the mediator to be able to explain not only the meaning of ‘spirituality’
or reisei but also what it means to his or her practice.
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Fortunately, the notion of using spirituality in mediation as a mother hen is already in the
Japanese context to peck the eggshells from outside and, limiting to the mediation practice
alone, the issue is with how to preserve the mother hen. By enlightenment in the
revitalisation of kanji, people in Japan may start realising that, although the notion of
applying spirituality in the mediation context was indeed a new idea hence worth being
translated into Japanese, the ‘spirituality’ itself already exists in Japanese. They could and
might start questioning why they had lost or stopped using the term reisei. Unfortunately,
such a historical query together with its future implications need to be left for future
research. This should be expanded in more detail as one of the recommendations for the
future research below.
In such a status quo, the question may pose whether any similar research to the one
conducted by Horie (2019) is indeed necessary at this point of mediation development. As
discussed in chapter 2, Horie’s (2019) purpose was to bridge the differences in the meanings
between the Japanese term transliterated spirituality and the English term spirituality so
that to be used in Japanese academic disciplines of psychology and sociology of religion. In
mediation conducted in either Japanese or English language, the shared spirituality between
a mediator and his or her clients becomes a basis of faith-based mediation model at an
agreement of all attending parties. The narrow focus on the similarities between the
arguments by Lois Gold and Mark S. Umbreit allowed this research to generate the eight
precepts shown in Chapter 3.
However, spirituality referred to by both Gold (1993 and 2003) and Umbreit (1997 and 2001)
was only one component of their different, whole arguments respectively. This research also
discovered that spirituality as a component may be codified and labelled to acknowledge its
importance to mediation practice yet, at the same time, can be omitted, unvoiced or
embedded in a whole argument. Such a component may not require an integrated, universal
meaning in the mediation context. The present thesis argued that this seemed to be
something to do with the aim of mediation practice: dispute settlements by mediation users,
not by mediators.
As for one example, the similar analyses made by focusing on the differences were found in
Walker (1999, 2001 and 2007). The consequence of her approaches nonetheless was to
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create a division between two spiritualities used in the same English-speaking mediation
context, but in different cultures: indigenous and non-indigenous. The research approach
taken by Walker can be interpreted as that there is no consensus over the meaning of these
terms across the English-speaking mediation context alone. Explicit faith can be the very
cause of the disputes. At this time of mediation development where there is no form of
commodified spirituality as a ‘product of service’, each mediator may better explain his or
her meaning of spirituality by sensitively accommodating each client’s background, if so
asked by the prospective clients.
Overall, this research contributes to the further development of the Japanese-speaking
mediation by clarifying the meanings of spirituality introduced to the context and also
putting forward the reasons why the term reisei appears to be a more appropriate
translation of the English term in this context.
The next section discusses some future recommendations identified based on the findings
of the present thesis.
8.2 Future recommendations The recommendations for future research topics may also be better understood by using
Suzuki’s (1944/1972: 19) metaphorical expressions of a hen, chick and egg.
8.2.1 How to preserve the mother hen Based on the analyses in this research, it became evident that Japanese mediation scholars
seem not to realise the term reisei can or should be used to translate the idea expressed by
the English term spirituality. This point raises further questions such as how Japanese
speaking mediators will apply this notion in their actual practice which has been a
profoundly law dominant field, and how their prospective Japanese-speaking clients will
react to the introduction while their binary classification as being either religious or non-
religious remains with people of Japan.
Even though the faith once shared in the context of mediation will be grouped as faith-based
mediation, it is unknown how the idea expressed outside of actual mediation sessions, such
as in publications or public lectures, are perceived by the audiences in Japan . Despite their
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interests in something supernatural or otherworldly, people in Japan seem to have lost at
some point their hens to peck their eggshells and help to hatch freely. By conducting
research on historical queries as to why, when and how such happened, the current situation
surrounding Japanese-speaking mediation practice may be better understood.
Furthermore, in order to improve the current situation of the Japanese-speaking mediation
context which is subject to the binary classification as being either religious or not, a further
question should be posed as to how the people of Japan have developed such a binary
classification and what the implications of the classification have been in their society.
The above recommended research topics on investigating how to preserve the mother hen
lead to below the discussions of future field studies to observe how the hatched chicks grow.
8.2.2 Field studies Because mediation involves both mediators and their clients, field research will contribute
in identifying potential issues hidden in the market in relation to either applying spirituality
in the practice or integrating it into the practice without sharing it with the other parties
attending the mediation sessions.
The first topic for field research may be; when the chicks inside of the eggs have not yet died,
what has been the mother hen? If the people of Japan have forgotten that they have chicks
inside of them, a mother hen would not be needed and even sought in the first place.
However, they did not forget about the chick; they just have forgotten the name of the chick.
The chicks inside kept and still keep seeking the mother hen to help them out of the shells;
one of the recent mother hens has been the transliterated spirituality but is now reviving to
reisei. These ‘chicks’ which cannot be seen yet exists inside of the eggs could have been the
motivator of the spirituality trend as well as the initiator of reviving reisei.
A second potential research topic is to investigate the attitudes of both mediators and
members of general public toward reisei, or spirituality, used in the mediation context as
suggested by Goldberg and Blancke (2011: 386 and 2012). Such a study will be able to
identify whether the needs or interests for the notion exist only within a limited group of
people, and, if so, to identify who they are. The identified group of people may be those with
strong faiths, as Ishihara (2017a) described the attendees of Umbreit’s training in Japan. If
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that is the case, then the application of reisei may naturally lean toward a faith-based
mediation and can eventually be limited to the faith-based mediation. It would be
interesting then to further investigate what potential benefits the Japanese-speaking people
receive by using the term reisei albeit limited to the mediation context. Their heteronomous
attitudes together with the willingness of seeking authoritative figures in resolving their
issues as argued by Miyatake (2017) may become more evident in such a study. Alternatively,
the participation in the study may raise their awareness by describing how reisei functions
in mediation and thus changing their heteronomous attitudes and becoming more
independent to settle on their own.
In the context of mediation, the Japanese-speaking people’s binary classification as being
either religious or not, could influence on the understanding reisei which can be used to
mean being either religious or non-religious or both at the time. Whether and how such a
binary classification should be unfolded in the context of Japanese-speaking mediation can
also be future research topics. In the same vein, Japanese-speaking mediators’ attitudes also
need to be investigated. As said in Chapter 5, the profession has been a part of the law
dominant industry and never subject to such a binary classification.
Such studies allow to conduct case studies further discussing on how the application of
spirituality contributes to or negatively impacts on actual mediation practice to settle the
existing issues in Japan such as discrimination against, and disputes with, immigrants who
have strong religious faiths, including, but not limited to, Christian Brazilian, Christian Korean
or Muslim communities (see for instance, Hoshino, 2018; Lee, 2018; Numajiri and Miki,
2018). Such studies would generate a stream of knowledge in relation to people’s attitudes
which are profoundly based on the binary classification of being either religious or non-
religious in the mediation context. The findings may also identify a contradiction of the
currently identified binary classification and enable discussion as to whether the binary
classification has worn out.
Finally, the field research on how to promote the currently unpopular mediation in Japan is
necessary although such research requires a complex, interdisciplinary approach to the topic.
By observing the whole picture based on empirical data, the research may be able to
articulate whether the Japanese-speaking people, either as a mediator or client, are in fact
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willing to use mediation which is not conducted in the same manner as the one currently
available in the law dominant field. In other words, the study findings will enable the further
discussion as to whether they are motivated to use mediation referring to reisei as a vital
component rather than heavily weighing on the legal, materialistic perspectives by only
appreciating their expected fair ratios or equal shares.
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[Legislation and other rules] Japan Act to Prevent Unjust Acts by Organized Crime Group Members (Act No. 77 of 1991) translated
by the Ministry of Justice at http://www.japaneselawtranslation.go.jp/law/detail/?id=1207&vm=&re=02
Act on Promotion of Use of Alternative Dispute Resolution (Act No. 151 of 2004) translated by the Ministry of Justice at http://www.japaneselawtranslation.go.jp/law/detail/?id=1958&vm=&re=
The Attorney Act (Act No. 205 of 1949) translated by the Ministry of Justice at http://www.japaneselawtranslation.go.jp/law/detail/?id=1878&vm=04&re=01&new=1
The Automobile Liability Security Act (Act No.97 of 1955) translated by the Ministry of Justice at http://www.japaneselawtranslation.go.jp/law/detail/?id=2718&vm=04&re=01
the Basic Act on Education (Act No. 25 of 1947 and Act No. 120 of 2006) translated by the Ministry of Justice at
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http://www.japaneselawtranslation.go.jp/law/detail/?id=2442&vm=04&re=01; by the MEXT at http://www.mext.go.jp/b_menu/kihon/data/07080117.htm
Chihōjichi Hō (Act No. 67 of 1947) Civil Code (Act No. 9 of 1896 as amended Act No. 78 of 2006) translated by the Ministry of
Justice at http://www.japaneselawtranslation.go.jp/law/detail/?id=2057&vm=04&re=02 Code of Civil Procedure (Act No. 109 of 1996) translated by the Ministry of Justice at
http://www.japaneselawtranslation.go.jp/law/detail/?re=02&kn[]=%E3%81%BF&ky=%E7%99%BB%E8%A8%98&page=6
The Constitution of Japan (Constitution, 3 November 1946) translated by the Ministry of Justice at http://www.japaneselawtranslation.go.jp/law/detail_main?id=174
Domestic Relations Case Procedure Act (Act No. 52 of 2011) translated by the Ministry of Justice at http://www.japaneselawtranslation.go.jp/law/detail/?id=2323&vm=04&re=01
Domestic Relations Trial Act (Act No. 152 of 1947) translated by the Ministry of Justice at http://www.japaneselawtranslation.go.jp/law/detail_main?id=308&vm=4&re=
Order for Enforcement of the Act on Promotion of Use of Alternative Dispute Resolution (Cabinet Order No. 186 of 2006)
Ordinance for Enforcement of the Act on Promotion of Use of Alternative Dispute Resolution (Ministry of Justice Ordinance No. 52 of 2006) translated by the Ministry of Justice at http://www.japaneselawtranslation.go.jp/law/detail_main?vm=02&id=2008
the Regulation for Enforcement of the School Education Act (No. 11 of 1947) available only in Japanese at http://elaws.e-gov.go.jp/search/elawsSearch/elaws_search/lsg0500/detail?lawId=322M40000080011&openerCode=1
The Seventeen-article constitution (604) the Waste Management and Public Cleansing Act (Act No.137 of 1970) Local Ordinances Organized Crime Exclusion Ordinances International Rules and Instruments the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (A/RES/61/295) [Common Law] Japan
Supreme Court Decision held on 14 July 1971 昭和 44(あ)1124
Supreme Court Decision held on 26 April 2005 平成 16(ネ)946
Tsu District Court Decision, Yokkaichi Branch, held on 24 July 1972